Rebound
by IdolsAndAnchors
Summary: Sakura has convinced herself that she likes Kiba, But Ino thinks different. With a life already hard enough, what will come of this situation?
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my first story on FanFiction. It's not perfect but I wanted to try anyway, I'm still gathering the confidence to post my stories.**

**I wanted to do something a little different, because I've read so many stories about the guy falling in love with the girl without the girl noticing and blah blah blah... Don't get me wrong, I've read some AMAZING stories where that has happened. But that isn't always the case… and I guess I wanted to show that girls ****also**** chase guys, they ****also**** try to do things to win their attention, and they also deal with the same feelings. I'm sure there are a few stories like this; I just haven't read them yet. (Please feel free to tell me if there are similar stories. I'd like to read them )**

**But bear with me, the first chapter is only the beginning! Don't write it off just yet, it will get better. But hey, it's up to you what you think and I'd really appreciate it if you could review and give me some pointers on areas I need to improve on. Also, please excuse it for being so 'crammed' together, it's not letting me edit it properly so it may be difficult for you to understand when the place of the scene is switched. I'm sorry :(**

**But anyway, what are you waiting for, get reading! :)**

* * *

><p>Sakura Haruno was your everyday teenager.<p>

She attended Konoha High School along with many other students her age and didn't really do anything to make herself stand out. Sure, she was one of those kids that somehow ended up being in the 'popular' group at school but she didn't know when or how that happened. Somewhere along the line she just kind of fell into the 'it' crowd. Sakura just had that natural ability to fit in with anyone with ease. In no way did she intend to be popular; she just had the type of friends that had that likeliness about them.

Sakura was a pretty girl, probably another reason her status in the school was higher than other kids in her year. Being the only person in her town with pink hair probably played on her side as well. Believe it or not, when Sakura was little, she was very self conscious about her hair. Some of the older kids used to pick on her about it but soon enough everyone she seemed to know grew accustomed to her pink locks and viewed it as 'cool'.

She had spent her whole life in Konoha; even being born in the local hospital instead of the more advanced one located a few miles out of town. She lived in an average house with her two parents and was unfortunately, an only child. But even though Sakura was fortunate to have a family, a decent education and a large amount of friends, she was far from being a happy teenager.

Sakura managed to quietly scribble down the rest of her Physics notes before the bell went for her next class. One of Sakura's closest friends Temari sat beside her, trying to force her school books into her bag as she realised it was going to be a tight fit. She managed to shove her books fully into her bag ignoring the fact that most of the pages would be crumbled and torn from the force. Sakura glanced up at her friend's flustered face.

"If you just did a little rearranging I'm sure they would fit without being completely ruined in the process," she said as she shook her head. She looked on as the sandy blonde swung her back pack around onto her left shoulder. Temari and Sakura were close and she considered her to be one of her best friends. Sakura was one of the few that could put up with Temari's temper and short attitude, and she didn't mind having her as a friend at all. Temari was down to earth and usually friendly, the type of person Sakura often longed to be around after spending days on end with Ino. Even if she did tend to be snappy and stubborn.

"Yeah well maybe if the school didn't try to force so much useless crap into my head, I would have enough room to fit books into my bag with ease," She mumbled, rolling her eyes at the pointless information that she claimed to be 'forced into her head' by the school and it's teachers.

Sakura just rolled her eyes and smiled. Temari was a smart girl; she was just one that didn't enjoy school in the slightest. Sakura on the other hand enjoyed it. She liked being able to get out of her house and away from her screaming parents that continuously fought amongst each other and with her. Sakura seemed to always get the blame for everything, even when the situation had nothing to do with her, and just wanted to hurry up and move out. But because she couldn't finish schooling for another year, she was stuck at home for the time being.

But Sakura was also smart. She surpassed other students in most of her classes, mainly maths and English but excelled when it came to sports. Especially soccer.  
>Sakura Loved soccer; like school, it was an escape from her screaming household. Soccer was the opportunity for her to run everything off and release all her stress without looking like a complete miserable mess.<p>

As Sakura and Temari walked down the crowded school halls they managed to spot Hinata standing restlessly by her locker. Hinata was fumbling about in her locker trying to find her books for her next class, but was becoming worried when she couldn't find a certain object anywhere.

"Hinata," Sakura called out from across the corridor, trying to avoid the busy rush of kids who were rushing off to their next class. Hinata didn't lift her head and kept scrabbling through her locker anxiously.

"Hinata?" Sakura asked again, this time sending the Hyuga's head flying into the air.

"Oh! S-Sakura, I didn't see you there!" she said, her usually pail porcelain like face red from persistent searching. She looked worried and somewhat nervous as she talked with her pink haired friend.

"I was just wondering if you were still coming over tonight?" Sakura picked up a few of Hinata's papers and books which fell on the ground. She couldn't help but wonder why her friend looked so flustered.

"Oh! Yes, I almost f-forgot all about it," she replied, taking the books from Sakura's hands. She placed them back in her locker before closing it with a sigh.

Sakura frowned and slightly titled her head to the side. "Is something wrong?"

"M-my mobile…" she mumbled, glancing at the ground. "It's gone from my locker, I c-can't find it anywhere…"

"Don't worry, I'm sure it will be in your locker somewhere." Temari said as she stood beside her.

Sakura could understand why Hinata was so worked up over a missing mobile. She knew about the texting convocations she and Naruto were having lately, and although they were nothing bad, it wasn't really something Hinata wanted the whole school knowing about. Hinata was incredibly shy and only just worked up the confidence to start talking to Naruto and didn't want her chance of being with him ruined by immature people reading her text messages.

"Oh if it isn't miss Uzumaki," a boy from their year teased as he walked through the busy corridor. "…I'm not doing anything on the weekend either, maybe we could hang out?" he mocked the messages in Hinata's voice, flicking through the texts in her mobile phone. Zaku was 17, the same age as Sakura but acted like a twelve year old. He wasn't liked by most people in the school but would do anything to grab their attention anyway.

Hinata's face went bright red as she heard Zaku mimic her texts. Everyone was watching and giggling which wasn't making her situation any easier. Temari reached out and grabbed the phone out of Zaku's hands before he could say anymore and pushed him, making him stumble. "Beat it, Jerk!" she yelled as she watched the boy scurry off laughing down the hallway.

Temari quietly handed Hinata back her phone whilst still glaring at the back of Zaku's head. "Eh, don't worry about him Hinata, he's an idiot."

Hinata's head slowly dropped in embarrassment as she took back her phone and placed it into the pocket of her school bag. Hinata had been one of Sakura's closest friends since childhood and although she was also in the 'popular' group, she was still a target for immature bullies such as Zaku because of her shyness and vulnerability. Sakura hated seeing boys like him continually put her down. It made her want to use all their heads as soccer balls for her next game.

"Listen Hinata," said Sakura as she placed her hand on Hinata's shoulder, "Don't worry about him. He's a jerk, and Naruto wasn't around to hear what he said so you have nothing to worry about."

Sakura gave her friend a reassuring smile before parting ways with Temari and heading off to her next class with Hinata. Her next class happened to be science with Kakashi. Sakura wasn't fond of science but chose it anyway; she liked how Kakashi's classes were so laid back even if science wasn't her thing. She continued to walk down the corridor which all students had now cleared out of until they came across a door to the left which spelt 'Science lab' above the door frame. She walked into the classroom and saw none other than Ino Yamanaka sitting at the back, her bright eyes and cheerful wide smile looking right her way.

"Sakura!" she called, waving Sakura and Hinata over in her direction with a massive smile sprawled across her face. "I saved you and Hinata a seat right next to me,"

"Thank you Ino," Sakura said as she took her seat next to the cheerful blonde. Ino was Sakura's best friend and had been ever since she was a little girl. She was loud, over confident and, well, a tad 'promiscuous', but that wasn't enough to make Sakura disown her as a friend.

Ino would have had to have been the most popular girl at Konoha High. Her looks won everyone over; she had the bleach blonde hair, the perfect figure and the boobs to match. But her looks weren't the only thing Ino was popular for. Sakura's best friend had a certain tendency to 'get around' a lot. She didn't just sleep with anyone though, believe it or not she did have certain standards for the boys she slept with. It defiantly wasn't a challenge to get into Ino's pants. Even though the blonde was the hottest girl at Konoha High, it certainly did not make her the smartest. Sakura had tried to tame the ways of Ino many times but failed. It was by no means a jealousy thing, Sakura just did not want to see her best friend wind up getting herself into a dangerous situation or worse yet, pregnant.

Sakura sat talking to Hinata and Ino about their plans for the night before she caught a glimpse of someone walking through the door. Sakura's heart started to beat a bit faster as she noticed Sasuke, Kiba and Kankurou walk into the classroom late. The three boys were all a few months older than Sakura but were still all in the same year and they all hung out with each other. Along with Naruto, the four boys were definitely the coolest group of guys in the school. Each boy (excluding Naruto) had that 'bad boy' appeal to them and no one dared stand up to the four boys. They were known for being partiers and sleazes, and were either the cause for every complication in Konoha High. And if they weren't, they would jump to the case and involve themselves so they would be. They certainly did make the most of their popularity.

As Sasuke Uchiha passed the bench Sakura was seated at she couldn't help but force herself to look the opposite direction. 4 months ago, Sasuke ended the relationship he had with the pink haired teen after a whole year of dating. Sakura told herself everyday that she was over him but whenever it came down to being in the same class or hanging out, she forced herself to subtly ignore him. She was still slightly upset over the breakup and although she denied it, everyone knew it.

She didn't know what to think of Sasuke. Their whole relationship seemed to involve Sakura putting in all the effort to make it work whilst he sat back and shrugged everything off. Even though she was devastated and furious when they broke up, she managed to put most of it behind her and remain friends with the raven haired teen. The reason? It wasn't all about him anymore; Sakura thought she had found someone else.

Over the past month Sakura had found herself subconsciously focussed on the energetic and good looking Kiba Inuzuka. She had often told herself that she shouldn't go there because it was one of her ex boyfriend best friends, but when she thought about it she didn't even know if the group of boys really liked each other at all.  
>Sure, they had a lot of things in common. Each of the boys loved partying, drinking and women, but it almost seemed as if it was all a big competition. She also thought that they only hung out with one another because they were each popular for their own thing; Sasuke for his amazing looks and mysterious attitude, Kiba for his good looks and wild personality, Kankuro for his sense of humour and Naruto for-well, she didn't know how he ended up being in their group. Maybe it was because he was Sakura's cousin, or maybe it was because the boys needed someone to push around. Whatever the reason was, Sakura didn't care. All she cared about was how she was going deal with these strange and sudden feelings she had towards Kiba.<p>

The three boys sat at the bench at the very back of the classroom. Sakura, Hinata and Ino were also seated in the back row which meant the girls only had to turn their heads to the side to see what immature and apparently 'hilarious' things the boys were up to.

A few whispers and chuckles could be heard from where the boys were seated. "You're looking good today Ino," Kankurou said in a voice that seemed somewhat sarcastic.

"Don't I always?" she replied, unaware of the sarcasm in Kankurou's voice. Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend's dumbness. _Here comes the sarcastic remark._

"You're legs look exceptionally good, what time do they open?" Kankurou and Kiba burst into laughter. Sasuke also had a smirk on his face but managed to contain his amusement better than the other two. Sakura couldn't help but to have a little chuckle herself.

"You're jokes don't offend me Kankurou," she said as she looked at herself in her pocket mirror. "You're obviously just jealous that they're never going to open for you."

Kankurou's face looked somewhat dumbfounded – it wasn't often someone had a comeback to his insults. Especially Ino, she was usually a main target for Kankurou's lame pranks and jokes but today was somehow different.

Sakura didn't want to spend too much time dwelling on why Ino was suddenly coming up with these witty comebacks. She had enough things on her mind to think about.

"Inuzuka, put the mobile away or you can take it to the principal's office," Kakashi called out from the front. He stood there casually with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a piece of chalk as he wrote notes onto the board.

"Ooooh, scary threat." Kiba replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes and placing his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. Sakura was usually the type of person who would hate it when students were disobedient and held up the class, but with Kiba it was different. She just found that 'bad boy' persona to be a turn on.

She shook her head to try and make her mind focus on the notes Kakashi was writing down on the board. For all she knew, Kiba didn't have the slightest idea that Sakura saw him as more than friends. The two had often hung out, but Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Temari, Kankuro and Ino had also been there to tag along. Sakura had never really flirted with Kiba either and had done nothing whatsoever to convince the good looking teen that she liked him.

But that's what confused Sakura. She didn't know if she just found Kiba to be attractive, or if she just saw him as an object she could use to help her get over Sasuke. Ino had often told her that she was dealing with a bad case of the 'Rebound Effect', a technique made up by Ino which develops when getting out of a break up. She called it this because whenever a girl from their school broke up with their boyfriend or vice versa, they would immediately go and hook up with someone else in the hopes of getting over the other person.

Ino had convinced Sakura that the only reason she liked Kiba was to help her get over Sasuke and the break up. And deep down, Sakura thought she was right.

Kiba's phone vibrated in his pocket. He looked up to make sure Kakashi had his back turned and grabbed his phone to read the text. He rolled his eyes when he saw the name appear and placed his phone back inside the pocket of his jeans. Some girl that Kiba had slept with the weekend before had somehow got his number, and ever since she had been trying to contact him nonstop.

Kiba was not a relationship kind of person. 'Root and boot' seemed to be his way of life and he couldn't really care about the feelings he hurt in the process. As long as he got more girls than Sasuke, he was happy.  
>Kankurou leaned across his chair in an attempt to read the text. "Whoooo was that?" he asked slyly.<p>

Kiba pushed him back down in his chair. "Remember that Jenna girl I slept with at Sasuke's the other weekend?"

Kankurou smirked and nodded his head. "The brunette?"

"Yeah, that one. Somehow she got my number and has been trying to text me constantly for the past four days. It's so fucking annoying."

Kankurou's smirk grew even wider as he chuckled to himself. "Oh, I wonder who that was…"

"KANKUROU YOU DICK!" Kiba yelled, as he realised Kankurou was the one who gave it to her. Kiba pushed him again, this time with a lot more force. Kankurou fell back off his chair and into the isle separating the boys table form the girls. Sakura happened to be swinging on her chair slightly, subconsciously staring in Kiba's direction and chewing on the end of her pen. She failed to notice Kankurou falling in her direction, and as Kankurou landed on her chair with a thud, Sakura fell back off of her chair and onto the floor behind her.

Her face turned the same colour as her hair as she heard the class roar with laughter. Being the popular kid definitely had its downfalls. One being whenever something bad happened to them, it was one hundred times funnier than it really was.

"Oh my god, Sakura!" Ino shrieked as she helped her up off of the ground. "Kankurou you ass! Look at her lip!"

Kankurou picked himself up off the floor and rubbed the back of his head."Settle Blondie, it was an accident!"

Sakura's face turned even pinker as she realised Kiba and Saskue were in hysterics_. Great, real smooth Sakura, real smooth,_ she thought to herself as her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

From in front of the class, Kakashi stood with his arms folded. He didn't seem too happy with how the class was acting and the expression on his face proved this.

"Who was responsible for this?" he asked sternly, scanning his eyes across the classroom. The room fell silent.

"It was Kiba and Kankurou!" Ino yelled as she stood and pointed at the two boys. "Look what they did to Sakura's lip!"

Sakura lifted her hand to her lip, unaware of the trickle of blood spilling down her chin. That would teach her to swing on her chair and chew on her pen at the same time.

"It wasn't even my fault!" Kankurou said as he stood up from his chair. He threw his finger in Kiba's direction. "Kiba was the one who pushed me, so it's his fault."

Before Kiba had the chance to fight back, Kakashi raised his voice. ''Inuzuka, take Haruno to the nurse immediately. You were the cause of this so you can take the responsibility for it."

Kiba and Kakashi continued to exchange words angrily. Sakura's heart started to beat faster. She through a panicked glare in Ino's direction and mouthed the word 'INO!' as she realised what she had done.

"Relax," the blonde whispered, "I know what I'm doing." Ino winked at Sakura before pushing her to run along.

Kiba got up from his chair and slammed it back underneath his desk with an annoyed force. "Whatever man, this sucks." He walked to the front of the classroom before turning his head and eyeing Sakura. "You coming or not?"

Sakura nervously nodded before following Kiba out of the classroom. She was going to kill Ino for this.

* * *

><p>The corridor was silent as Sakura and Kiba walked down the centre heading towards the nurse's office. Their footsteps echoed down the hallway, making Sakura feel slightly uncomfortable. She felt nervous being alone with Kiba and was trying to convince herself with all her might to start a conversation so the walk wouldn't be so awkward and silent. She wondered if he felt awkward as well or if he didn't even care in the slightest. The two had hung out before but never by themselves because they always had the rest of the gang with them. After thinking long and hard about it Sakura realised this was the first time they had ever been alone together.<p>

"Uh, Sorry for getting you in trouble Kiba," Sakura said as she rubbed the bottom of her lip. "You can go back to class if you want, I can walk the rest of the way by myself."

Kiba placed his hands into his jacket pockets. "Don't worry about it. Its Kankurou's fault not yours." They both continued to walk silently. "Sorry about your lip by the way.'

Sakura felt a wave of relief as she heard Kiba apologise. She was starting to think she had pissed him off and that her chances of getting to know him better were sadly failing. She forced a sweet, tiny smile and looked up at him. "Ha, don't worry about it." She lifted her hand to wipe away the tiny remaining bit of blood from her bottom lip. "It's only a little scratch, not like it's going to kill me."

She hoped to hear a reply from Kiba but his face was focussed on the screen of his mobile phone. She sighed silently and rolled her eyes, feeling a tad embarrassed for even trying to start conversation. Ever since she thought she had feelings for Kiba Sakura had found it hard to talk to him. She would get all clumsy and short of words, and was stuck for things to say which wasn't like Sakura at all. Why couldn't she just talk to him like she used to before? Why was it that all of a sudden it wasn't easy anymore?

Her thoughts were shoved to the side when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She lifted the phone and rolled her eyes to see that she had received a text from Ino.

_**How's the walk to the nurses office with Kiba? Pulled any moves?**_

Sakura shook her head as she went to reply to the text message. Ino was so pushy when it came to Sakura liking guys.

She hit the reply button and then out of the blue tripped on nothing. Yes, Sakura had tripped on thin air and right in front of the boy she liked. Lucky for Sakura she only stumbled instead of face planting into the ground. Her phone fell out of her hands and onto the floor beneath her, slightly sliding along the cold corridor floor.

"Dammit," she mumbled, turning her embarrassed pink cheeks away from Kiba.

Kiba stopped behind Sakura as he realised she dropped her phone. Sakura bent down to pick it up, and Kiba couldn't help himself but to sneak a look. He smirked and hoped that Sakura's navy blue skirt would crawl a bit higher so he could get a better look but was disappointed when it didn't budge. It didn't bother him too much though, he was happy with what he got to see.

Sakura spun around to catch a grinning Kiba. Lucky for him he had just finished perving without getting caught and was quite pleased with what he saw. How hadn't he realised that Sakura had a great arse before? He noticed the confused look the pinkette was giving him and smiled.

"Um, is something wrong?" Sakura asked, forcing a tiny laugh. She wondered why he was looking at her like that, especially after she just humiliated herself by falling over nothing. What she expected to see was Kiba bursting out in laughter, not smiling cheekily.

"Nothin'," he replied, giving her a mischievous smirk. "Well, here's the nurses office. My job here is done." He smiled again at the confused teenager. She glanced up and realised she was standing next to the nurses office and felt a little upset that she couldn't walk with Kiba that little bit longer.

"Later Haruno." He said before winking at her and walking back down the hallway towards Kakashi's class.

_What was that all about?_ She asked herself as she tried to get her head around what just happened. _Was Kiba… was Kiba flirting with me?_

Sakura shrugged. "It was probably nothing," she mumbled to herself before walking into the nurse's office. "Just Kiba being Kiba…"

* * *

><p><strong>Sooo, that was the first chapter, what do you think? It was going to be longer but I thought I better cut it short so I didn't bore you guys. I mean, it's long enough as it is : For me, the first chapter is always a bit slow and boring, but I have way more Ideas. I have absolutely zero confidence in my writing so please don't flame. **

**Please review and tell me what you think, constructive criticism is accepted! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I had a review pretty much telling me to stop this story. If you guys don't like this chapter then I'll stop it, just let me know. Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

><p>After the long school day had ended Temari, Ino and Hinata stayed the night at Sakura's. Sakura was relieved when she found out her mother had to stay back at work and her dad was at the local tavern getting drunk like he had every night since Sakura was a child. It wasn't new to her because she had always witnessed her dad become aggressive and abusive once he returned home. She was glad none of them were there because she didn't want her friends to witness them continually arguing and screaming at each other. For once, Sakura had the house to herself and was able to enjoy it.<p>

"So," Ino smirked, twirling her long blonde hair around her delicate finger. "That walk to the nurse's office today, I'm guessing you got to spend some quality time with Kiba?" the blonde winked before listening intently to what Sakura had to say.

Sakura's stomach began to twine with nerves and reluctance. Although Ino was her best friend, she didn't like to talk to her about boys and who she liked. Ino was over pushy about the whole Kiba thing and Sakura had a bad feeling she could end up scaring the both of them away from each other.

"Uh, it was ok I guess..." Sakura mumbled as she lowered her glance. Her mind raced back to how she felt awkward and nervous in front of Kiba. She wished she knew what he was thinking or feeling at the time, because it would make her situation a whole lot easier. She wouldn't have to worry about saying the wrong thing, or worrying about what he thought of her, it would just be so simple.

But then she remembered the wink. That small, flirtatious wink of the eye that made Sakura's heart beat like a nervous drum. She had that feeling start to accumulate in her chest, the one where it thumps nervously but in a good way. She hated how she would get so worked up over something so small and something that probably didn't even mean anything.

"You know what Sakura, when are you finally going to work up the guts to tell him you like him?" Ino said as she ran a brush through her hair.

Sakura frowned and shrugged her shoulders. "Ino, I don't even know if I do like him."

Lie.

Of course Sakura liked him, if not fully then at least partially. But the problem that kept Sakura from admitting this was the fact that she still had feelings for Sasuke and she was still confused about the whole concept.

"As if Sakura. It's totally obvious that you do and if you don't do something about it sooner or later, I will."

Sakura's heart started to pound as Ino smirked an evil grin. The last thing she wanted Ino to do was interfere. It wasn't any of Ino's business but she still had to but in anyway. "What? You can't do that Ino!"

"Y-yeah Ino, D-don't you th-think Sakura should wait u-until she is ready to tell h-him?" Hinata said as she finished reading a text from Naruto. She looked up from her phone to face the blonde and sighed. "I-it is her choice after a-all…"

Ino started to get a tad frustrated. She was trying to help Sakura but everyone seemed to be working against her. All she wanted to do was help, she knows that Sakura has a hard time at home and if she had a boyfriend she thought it would help her best friend to become happier and less lonely.

A silence filled the room. It wasn't awkward but it was obvious that everyone was deep in thought. Hinata was worrying about speaking up to Ino, Sakura was worried about what Ino was going to do to 'help' her situation, Temari was trying to figure out what it was that Sakura saw in Kiba and Ino was trying to work out what she was going to do to help.

"… He's better than Sasuke you know."

Everyone focused their eyes on a smirking Ino. "Huh?" Sakura asked, confused.

"In bed. I would have to say Kiba is way better than Sasuke."

Sakura's face instantly turned pinker than her hair and her mouth felt like it dropped to the ground. "Oh my god! Ino!" she screamed as she buried her face into the palm of her hands in embarrassment.

Hinata and Temari hung their heads with disgrace. Trust Ino to say something like that.

Sakura couldn't believe it. That's how Ino was going to convince her to ask out Kiba? Sakura had always known that Ino had slept with both Kiba and Sasuke but it didn't madden her. Ino slept with Sasuke long before he and Sakura dated and before Sakura had feelings for him. Nothing came of it because it was apparently just for a 'bit of fun' and it never happened again. And as for Kiba, Ino had slept with him at a party one night when Sakura was dating Sasuke, and they were both extremely drunk. Again Sakura couldn't be mad at Ino for it because she didn't have feelings for Kiba at the time.

"What? I'm only telling the truth…" Ino said as she folded her arms.

Sakura shook her head. "If that was meant to be a good reason to convince me to ask out Kiba, it didn't work!"

Ino pouted at her best friend. She thought for sure that Sakura would have liked the fact that Kiba was great in bed but obviously not. "Fine then, but I'm not giving up that easily. I have another plan in mind,"

Sakura once again shook her head as she began to feel nervous. She didn't like where this was going and wanted to put a stop to the conversation immediately. She walked over to her bed and placed herself underneath the blankets before turning her back to her best friend and sighing. "Goodnight Ino." She said sternly, turning off the light.

* * *

><p>Sakura's alarm clock sounded the next morning, and the four girls sluggishly dragged themselves out of bed and got ready for school. Suddenly staying up late and talking to all hours of the night wasn't such a good idea.<br>When they were ready, they walked quietly tip toed through the house and tried not to wake Sakura's passed out father, who was lying on the kitchen floor with a bottle of whisky still clutched in his hand. Sakura felt a wave of embarrassment and shame wash over her as she saw the state her father was in in front of her friends. Disgusted, she turned her head away slowly from her father. Temari, Ino and Hinata noticed the shame and sadness on Sakura's face but didn't say anything; they didn't want to make it worse for her. They knew about what she goes through at home and knew she didn't like to talk about it.

They reached the large school gates just before the bell sounded for their first class. Temari and Hinata parted off to go to English while Sakura and Ino's first class was PE. And guess who was also in Sakura's PE class? None other than Kiba Inuzuka.

When Sakura and Ino arrived at the Giant indoor sports hall they headed off to the girls change room to change into their gym clothes. Her gym uniform consisted of short, tight, green shorts (which in some cases, just covered the girls butts, especially Ino's) and a tight black t-shirt with the Konoha High leaf emblem printed on the left side of her chest. The boy's uniform was a tad different, and consisted of normal green sport shorts and a grey T shirt instead of blacks ones, and also had the Konoha High leaf emblem embedded on the left side of their chests.

After finally getting ready, the class of students gathered inside the gym. Their teacher Gai was already inside warming up and setting up stations of activities for the class to do.

'Good morning students!" Gai exclaimed from in front of the class. His overly cheerful and eager personality had already started to make the students groan with annoyance. "Today we will be doing a range of exercises, with each station having a different activity! The first group of youth will be assigned to running laps until the time is up, and then you will move on to the next activity!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at the way he spoke. She hated it when he referred to the class as 'A group of youth' instead of students. It was just annoying. She didn't mind the whole exercise part of it though; Sakura was one of the schools best soccer players so PE was definitely her thing. She just didn't like Gai as a teacher because he was over enthusiastic and annoying.

"The second station will be sit ups and abb crunches," Gai continued with twice as much enthusiasm, "the third will be push ups, the fourth station will be the rope climbing and the fifth will be chin ups!"

Again the class groaned with pre exhaustion. Sakura glanced around at the class and noticed everyone was already starting to look tired even though they hadn't even started. Gai started to divide the students into groups and assigned them all to their stations. Sakura was put at station one to begin with, which was doing laps around the gym for 3 minutes straight. She started to jog beside Ino, who was struggling to keep up with Sakura's fitness.

"Slow down!" she panted, almost stumbling as she almost caught up to the pinkette. As she finally caught up she placed a hand on her shoulder to slow her down to an almost a walking pace.

"Gee Ino, you have to get your fitness up," Sakura teased. "Even Choji has done more laps than you."

"Don't... go telling me… what I need… to be doing!" she puffed exhaustedly. "Don't forget Sakura… I haven't forgotten about my plan!"

"Ino, I swear if you say anything-" Sakura's words were cut off as she bumped into Shino who was walking slowly in front of her. "Oh, sorry Shino!" Sakura said as she forced a tiny laugh. Shino only nodded and proceeded to run. He was a nice boy but always came across a tad creepy. Sakura quickly looked up to see where Ino had scrambled off to, only to here Gai call out for the students to switch stations. A nervous and uncertain squirm filled her stomach as she imagined what evil and stupid things Ino could do. Sakura couldn't spot Ino anywhere amongst the large group of merging students, so she sighed and slowly walked to her next station.

To the side of the hall, Ino had managed to blend in with a group of students from the class to avoid being seen by Sakura. Although she wasn't the brightest in the class, when she had her mind set on something she would devise anything to make it work. She was very sneaky and cunning. Ino should've felt bad for what she was doing but she truly believed it was the right thing, and for Sakura's sake, she had to do it.

Kiba and Kankurou were stuffing around over at the chin up station. Kankurou wasn't exactly great at sport and physical exercise so he resulted in clowning around with Kiba in front of the girls watching them. Kiba on the other hand was good at sports, but wouldn't use any of the talent he had because he wanted to uphold his reputation. Sometimes Ino was confused by this; you'd think being a gifted sports person would increase your popularity? She shook her head and proceeded to walk slyly over to the two boys, making sure Sakura could not see her.

Kiba was on the bar, his strong arms lifting up his weight and successfully doing a chin-up. Almost every muscle in his body was working to do this and Ino couldn't help but to sneak in a peak of his abbs as his T-shirt slowly crept up his stomach. Unfortunately Ino wasn't the only one having a perve; three girls sat to the side of the hall looking on and giggling at the good looking Inuzuka. Kiba noticed this and smirked their way, lifting up his shirt to give them a better look. The girls all blushed fiercely, but when they caught Ino glaring at them they quickly turned around and acted as if nothing happened. They did _not_ want to get on Ino's bad side.

"Oh Kiiiiiiba," Ino said cheerfully as she strutted over to the boys. She walked with one hand on her hip and her long blonde ponytail swinging from side to side.

Kiba looked up to see the blonde walking towards him. He smirked a self-satisfied grin as he eyed her outfit up and down. Ino always looked good in clothes that were 3 sizes too small for her. "Something wrong Ino?"

"Oh, not really, just wanted to come and see what you guys were up to." Ino joined in with the boys who were stretching their muscles up against the inside of the building.

"As if Ino, you want something. It's not every day you walk over to us just to see 'what we're up to'" retorted Kankurou.

Ino smiled. "Okay, you caught me. I've actually come over to offer you a proposition." A smirk drifted across her porcelain like face.

"Wow that's a big word for you Ino," Kankurou teased as Kiba rewarded him with a high five. The two boys laughed amongst one another as Ino stood with her hip cocked out to the side and her hands on her waist.

"Very funny Kankurou."

Kiba contained his laughs to look up at the unimpressed blonde. "Okay then Ino. What is this so called proposition of yours?"

Ino positioned herself closer to the two boys. "I'll tell you, but first you have to answer a few questions for me."

"Questions?" Kiba asked, raising an eyebrow. He was starting to become confused. It wasn't every day the dumbest girl in school came up to him with questions and a proposition. He actually started to wonder if she even knew what the word proposition meant.

Ino twisted her blonde hair around her index finger as she looked over in Sakura's direction. Kiba followed her gaze. "Kiba, what are your thoughts on Sakura?"

"Haruno?" he said as the confusion started to set in even more.

"Well she is the only Sakura in the school, dummy."

"What's this all about Ino?" he asked as he focussed his gaze back onto the blonde.

"Just tell me what you think of her, geez it's not that hard."

Kiba focussed his gaze back over on the unaware pinkette. She was over at the sit up station with her hands behind her head, doing sit-ups and completely oblivious to the conversation which was happening on the other side of the room. "Well," he said, scratching the back of his head. "She's Sasukes' ex?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "No, not like that. Tell me what you like about her,"

Kankurou had had enough of being left out of the conversation, so he stepped up and placed his hand on Ino's shoulder, causing her to raise her eyebrows. "Listen Ino, this is stupid. Go back to doing nothing and let us continue doing our chin ups."

"Excuse me Kankurou," Ino said as she slowly peeled his hand off her shoulder. "Feel free to go back to doing chin ups, but me and Kiba are discussing important business here."

"How is this important business?" he retorted before copping Ino's hand to his face.

"Shut up!" her hand covered his mouth so he couldn't speak. She smiled and looked at Kiba who seemed more confused than ever. "So Kiba, what do you like about Sakura?"

Kiba looked down at the blonde with one eyebrow raised and scratched the back of his head in confusion. This was too weird for him. He had never seen Sakura in that kind of way and thought Ino was behaving awfully weird. Attempting to put away the thoughts of misperception, Kiba replied "Well… she has a great arse?"

"See! There you go! What else?" Ino said as her plan was starting to work.

"Uh… Um… I guess she's pretty hot, and she's good at sports? What are you getting at Ino, what's this all about?"

Ino's mischievous grin crawled across her face again as she leant in closer to Kiba. "She likes you, Kiba."

* * *

><p>Kiba walked along the old cracked footpath that led from the school to his house. The sun was slowly shading itself behind the clouds as the late afternoon air covered the town. Every now and again, Kiba would feel a small pellet of cold rain fall lightly upon the black hooded jacket he wore to school. But the rain was the least of his worries.<p>

Kiba still hadn't wrapped his mind around what Ino had told him that morning in the gym. Was she just trying to pull some sort of prank to get back at him for the jokes he and Kankurou had pulled on her over the years? Or was she serious? Surly Sakura didn't like him; they had known each other ever since grade school! Sure, they weren't close enough for a possible relationship to be considered 'weird', and it wasn't that he thought she was ugly… as he told Ino earlier, she was hot. And had a great… you know. She was different. She had pink hair and no matter how many times people had put her down about it in the past, she didn't let it get to her. She has a nice, slim, elegant body, which was unusual since she was so into sports. She wasn't annoying and didn't complain about little things like most girls. She also had nice eyes; Kiba could remember having a conversation with her about Sasuke at one of his parties. Not that he was intentionally focussing on them… it was just something he had noticed during conversation.

When Kiba really thought about it, Sakura Haruno having a crush on him didn't seem like such a bad situation. The only thing that had Kiba worried was the whole concept of a relationship. Yeah, He wasn't a relationship kind of person. He liked his women, he liked his freedom, and he liked the fact he could go out at night and sleaze on any girl of his choice without worries or restriction. For Kiba, the single life was the high life.

Kiba continued to walk along the same familiar cracked foot path that led him home. He continued to walk until he came to his house, or what the students and people in the town liked to call the 'Inuzuka Mansion'. The house was two storeys high and gigantic. Out the front was a large garden which appeared a tad over grown from neglect,with flowers and tall vine like plants. Footpaths lead up the left hand side and past the massive garage that contained Kiba's car. A small white railing ran along the outside of the wooden porch which rested on the outside of the top story. He stood for a while before coming to a decision, one that probably wasn't such a big deal, but one that he had thought long and hard about.

The decision to ignore what Ino said.

After all, she couldn't be serious.

* * *

><p>Sakura sighed as she made her way down the isle of her overly crowded bus. She didn't realise how many middle school children lived on her side of town, it seemed as if the bus was filled to its limit. She gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes as each child yelled at the top of their lungs to another child seated at the opposite end of the bus, whilst throwing food and paper airplanes at the same time. Damn middle schoolers were so annoying.<p>

She managed to find a spare seat on the right hand side of the bus and sat down with an irritated sigh. She placed her schoolbag onto the seat next to her and reached into her front pocket, pulling out her iPod. She placed the earphones into her ears to drown out the noises of the bus and school kids whilst concentrating on the music that filled her ears. During each word, beat and rhythm, Sakura relaxed and thought about how much better her life would be after she leaves her house. She often did that in her free time. No more yelling. No more screaming. No more getting blamed for faults not her own. No more being abused.

She opened her eyes to watch the small droplets of rain which were slowly streaming down the bus window. She would focus her eyes on a single drop, watching it gracefully slide down the cold glass until it merged with another. Then she would pick another drop, focus her emerald orbs on it, and watch it until it became one with another. Between concentrating on beads of water and the music pounding away in her ears, Sakura's mind drifted back to the stunt Ino had pulled earlier on that day.

_I can't believe her, going up to him and just coming straight out with it! He's going to think I'm weird, or think I'm some kind of stalker!_ Her heart pounded with nervousness from inside her chest_. There goes whatever chance I had with him. He's never going to want to date the girl that secretly watched him from the lunch table. Hell, I bet he thinks I'm a creep now!_

Sakura's thoughts were disrupted when a familiar figure lifted her school bag and placed it on the floor beneath the seat. He placed himself down next to her with a sigh and Sakura smiled. "Well if it isn't Shikamaru Nara," she said as she carefully took the earphones from her ear. Shikamaru was one of Sakura's longest known friends and probably one of her closest. Their parents had been best friends with one another ever since the two were toddlers, which meant they had practically grown up with each other and she viewed him as a brother. Their parents unfortunately had a falling out a few months ago after Sakura's father had accused Shikamaru's dad of stealing money from their house. Of course that wasn't the case, and Sakura's father failed to realise he took the money after getting drunk one night and gambling it away. A family feud occurred, and Sakura and Shikamaru didn't get to see much of each other after that. They still managed to hold that brother/sister bond though.

Shikamaru didn't hang out with Sakura's group of friends. He hated the whole concept of popularity and preferred to be part of the more laid back, worry free group with his friends Choji and Shino. But although they didn't socialise all that much at school he was still close enough to be considered family. He had even attended all Sakura's soccer games as a child because her mother and father never took an interest in it.

"Thought I'd come say hello." He replied before giving a lazy, bored like yawn. "And the fact that you look like you're about to punch someone struck my interest too."

Sakura forced a blunt laugh. "That obvious, huh?"

"Not _that_ obvious, I guess I just know you too well." He smiled and placed his hands behind his head sluggishly. "So are you going to tell me what's up?"

Sakura took in a deep breath and sighed. "Nothing..." she said as she swallowed her lie.

"I've known you long enough to know when you're lying Sakura. Now come on, out with it."

Sakura couldn't think of a reason not tell him. After all, they told each other pretty much everything. "I think I like someone Shikamaru."

Shikamaru's eyes widened and he all of a sudden seemed interested. "Please tell me it's not that jerk Sasuke again."

Sakura shook her head sadly. "No… Well, I don't think so. Argh, it's so confusing, even I don't know what it is!"

"Um, sorry Sakura but I kind of have no idea what you're talking about." Shikamaru had his eyebrow raised as he looked at the pinkette with a puzzled expression. He didn't often like talking about relationships and all that stupid stuff because it was a drag. But when it came to Sakura, who he kind of viewed as a little sister, he had no choice but to take interest in her problems. He also knew about the type of things she had to endure at home and was willing to help out as much as he could.

"I like someone, but I'm not sure if I genuinely like him. I think… I think I only like him so I can get over Sasuke…" her voice trailed off and her glance drifted to the floor. "The thing is, I don't know if I should tell him."

"Who is it?" Shikamaru questioned.

Sakura hesitated for a moment then sighed. "Kiba."

"What!" Shikamaru yelled as he tried to stop his mouth from dropping to the floor. "Him? Sakura, he's a deadbeat! What the hell do you see in him?"

"I know I know… But I can't help it. The guy is hot."

"He's not good news Sakura, the guy is known for being one of the biggest sleazes in school. He will probably only want one thing from you and then kick you to the curb."

Sakura recognised the seriousness in Shikamaru's voice but ignored it. Even if she did only like Kiba as a rebound, it was working. Shikamaru noticed the sad look on Sakura's face and knew that telling her to steer clear of him was useless, as she would go and do what she wanted anyway. And if this chase was going to make her happy, and take her mind of things that happen within her family household, then he would help her.

Shikamaru sighed heavily. "Text him."

Sakura's eyes twinkled in confusion. "Huh?" she said as she raised her eyebrow. _Wasn't he just trying to warn me off?_

"If you want him, then there is no use waiting around for something to happen. Send him a text and ask him to hang out or something. "

"But... But what if he thinks I'm weird? What if he thinks I'm annoying him?" she asked, feeling completely indisposed to text him.

"Sakura, the guy has been hanging out with you for years. If he thought you were weird or annoying, he would've stopped hanging out with you by now, right? So there's no harm in asking to hang out." Shikamaru picked up he's school bag and stood as the bus was nearing his stop. "Plus, guys like it when girls make the first move." He waved good bye and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks Shika," Sakura said as she smiled and waved goodbye. As he got off the bus, Sakura slumped back into her seat. "You've certainly given me a bit to think about."

* * *

><p><strong>So it was a tad long, but I was stuck . I just want to hurry up and get to the good parts so I guess it was a little rushed. What do you think? If you're not busy, feel free to leave a review. But it's completely up to you. Again, If you think I should stop, tell me. <strong>

**Please no flames though!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again Thank you to everyone who reviewed, good and bad. About some concerns regarding it to be very stereotypical, I can totally see your point! I thought it was going to be different, but the way you put it made me really think. It's just the same as everyone else's. BUT, I am going to take what you said and work on it, Thank you **

**I would also like to apologise for getting worked up over one review. It's not that I 'can't take it'; I just don't want to go wasting mine and other people's time. Also, sorry about not putting a disclaimer, I'm still new and I guess I forgot all about it! So here it is;**

**I do not own**** any of the characters used in this fic. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Now I think that's everything… Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>She paced around her room with her hands folded tight against her chest. It was dark outside and the cold night air was creeping freely through her bedroom window. It was still raining, but this time it was heavier than the rain from this afternoon. After pacing hesitantly over and over again, she would stop in place for a few seconds, eyeing her mobile phone as if it were her enemy. There it sat, resting lightly upon her bed just waiting to be used, causing the squirms and knots in her stomach to tighten.<p>

_Come on Sakura! It's one stupid text, just send it already!_ She threw her hands to her head in frustration. Why was it that the simplest of things seemed so difficult? Surely flipping up her mobile phone and typing in a few words would be easy as pie, right?

Wrong.

Not with Sakura. When it came to any type of situation she would always think the worst. She would over think things so much that by the end of it she would have convinced herself that it was the worst action of her life. It was no doubt that the reason she did that was because of her parents and the way they constantly put her down and stripped away any hope she had of accomplishing something. Speaking of parents, she clamped her eyes shut when the screams started to grow louder and louder from downstairs.

"You should have been the one that done it, you do nothing to drag your weight around here you selfish prick!"

"She's fucking hopeless, she does nothing around here so _she_ should be doing the house work!"

"You know that the only thing she cares about is kicking around that damn soccer ball of hers! She fucks up whenever she tries something else! Maybe it wouldn't be so bad around here if you gave up the drink once in a while!"

"Well maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to work so god damn much, you ugly tramp!"

She slowly seated herself down on the bed, a rush of anger and sadness swooping over her body like it was some kind of disease. Why her, why was it Sakura of all people that had to endure this? She did nothing wrong. She said nothing to upset anyone. She didn't commit crimes, put people down or hurt people like other people around the school did. So why was it her that had to deal with such a life?

She bit down on her lower lip and attempted to block out her parents screaming. _Stuff it_ she thought, grasping the phone tightly in her hands. Like Shikamaru said, there was no use waiting around for something to happen. She flipped up her phone and started typing the message.

God knows how many times she re wrote that damn message. Over and over and over again she would write it before erasing it and typing the whole thing again from the start. _Stop over thinking it Sakura!_ She told herself as her thumbs hovered nervously above the buttons. She watched her thumbs closely and realised she was shaking. Never before had she been so worked up over a stupid guy, hell she wasn't even like this when she was with Sasuke! And to make things worse, Kiba still didn't realise Sakura had feelings for him, so this was a sure way for her to make a fool out of herself.

With one final inhale of breath Sakura typed the message and hit the send button immediately. She fell back onto her bed, picked up her pillow, and shoved it into her face as her heart pounded with nerves. This was going to be the worst wait ever.

* * *

><p>Kiba and Kankurou sat on the expensive black lounge which was positioned in Kiba's large living room. Expensive furniture filled the whole house, but it wasn't as if Kiba acknowledged it. He had always grown up with expensive stuff but no mother or father to force him to appreciate any of it. Both of their thumbs were tapping away on game controllers and their eyes focussed on the huge flat screen TV on the wall. The two often got together in the afternoons after school and hung out, playing video games and talking about woman they've been with or parties they've gone to. Naruto and Sasuke would usually be there with them but that afternoon they were busy doing something else. Naruto was apparently meant to be hanging out with Hinata, and Sasuke was on a date with some girl he had been trying to get with for a few weeks now. Kiba knew Sasuke didn't want anything more than sex with this girl so he laughed at the fact he was wasting so much time on her.<p>

His eyes left the television for a quick second as he heard his phone vibrate on the coffee table beside the lounge. "Pause the game," he said to Kankurou who was still tapping away at his controller.

"No way! You're only saying that because I'm winning!" He argued as he leant back into the cushioning of the lounge. Despite the boys being 17, they still often had the maturity of a thirteen year old.

"Dude, pause the damn game. I need to read this message."

Kankurou rolled his eyes and hit the pause button on his controller. He hated when Kiba always stopped the game as soon as he started to win. Kiba smirked and reached over to his phone, flipping the top up to view the name on his screen.

His eyebrow rose. _Sakura?_ He clicked again to view what the message said. His mind raced with thoughts of what Ino said earlier on that day, and the realisation finally sunk in that maybe what she said was true after all.

_**Hey Kiba, It's Sakura. Just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out this weekend? If you're not doing anything let me know. **_

"Who's it from?" Kankurou asked curiously when he noticed the confused expression on Kiba's face. Kiba just sat there, with a half smirk crawling upon his lips. "Well? Are you going to answer me or not?"

"It's from Sakura," Kiba replied slowly.

"What?" Kankurou chuckled. "Why the hell would she be texting you- Ohhhh." His mouth slightly dropped a little with realisation. "Ino was telling the truth!"

Kiba forced an unsure laugh. "Ha, so it seems…"

He felt as if he was a little nervous, like he felt under pressure or something. This was weird considering Kiba had been with more girls than he could count and never got this squirmy feeling in his stomach.

"Well what are you going to do? Use don't even hang out that much, makes me wonder what it is she sees in you."

"Besides my amazing looks?" they both laughed before Kiba continued. "But seriously Kankurou, think about it. She's pretty hot and from the times we have hung out, she hasn't been annoying. So let's view it this way," he placed both hands behind his head and smirked a mischievous grin. "I'll talk to her, hang out a few times, pay her a heap of compliments and then eventually she will want to sleep with me. Imagine how pissed it would make Sasuke, knowing that I slept with his ex! That'll put a dint in the score board."

Kankurou grew a smile which almost covered up the width of his face. He liked the thought of Kiba winning this 'competition' that they had going on. They were both starting to get real annoyed with Sasuke's subtle over confidence and arrogance. Sasuke thought he was better than the two, and they were about to prove him wrong.

"That, my friend, is an excellent idea."

* * *

><p>Sakura was definitely right. This was by far one of the longest waits of her life. It had already been at least fifteen minutes, and that was a long time when it came to texting. She was starting to think that she was right and that texting Kiba was a total waste of time. All her fears of embarrassment and rejection were all rolling upon her as she sat staring at her bedroom ceiling. "Stupid, stupid, stupid me! I knew it, he isn't interested in the slightest!" she put her hands over her eyes and tried to stop the stinging which was about to bring on tears. She wasn't about to cry because of a stupid boy, but because her parents were right. She couldn't do anything right and she was beginning to realise she was pathetic. Of course Kiba wasn't going to want her. So what if she was popular, it obviously wasn't enough to win him over.<p>

But just as she thought she was fully out of luck, the vibration of her phone made her almost jump out of her skin. _Could… could it be?_

She swiftly got on all fours and crawled as quickly as she could to the end of her bed. She didn't even notice how much her hands were shaking as she flipped up her phone. She could hear her heart pounding away inside her head and at the same time she had already thought of over a hundred things the text could say.

Either: _I'm busy._

_Sorry, not interested._

_Hang with you? I don't think so._

_HAHAHA, are you for real?_

_Um, I think I'll pass…_

Or maybe, possibly, it could be exactly what she wanted. But she highly doubted that.

She looked at the screen of her phone with caution. One thing was certain; it was from Kiba. She carefully clicked in to the message and read it, her heart thudding nervously inside of her chest. And as she read it, she could have sworn her heart suddenly stopped.

_**Heyyy, I'm not doing anything. Did you want to go to the movies or something?**_

She couldn't believe what she was reading. She literally read the text about nine times, scanning it over and over again making sure that she wasn't misreading it. It almost seemed as if... Kiba was asking _her_ out on a date? Maybe Ino's 'help' actually helped. But still, it was hard for Sakura to grasp, especially after she was expecting total rejection.

With a slight smile, Sakura hit the reply button. She was being very careful of what she wrote; she was trying her hardest not to come across desperate or creepy. She didn't want him thinking she was some kind of stalker when she clearly wasn't. But you know, just in case.

* * *

><p>Kiba drew in the sweet smoke of his cigarette and savoured the taste in his mouth and throat. He knew smoking at his age was a bad idea but he didn't care. He was the type of person who lived his life for today, instead of living it worrying about the years to come and concerning himself about his future. So what if his teachers told him it was a dirty habit; he wasn't out to impress anyone. All he needed to impress was the ladies and so far smoking worked to his advantage. For some reason girls thought it was 'cool'.<p>

"Won't your mum be mad when she comes home and finds the house smelling of cigarette?" Kankurou asked as he made himself even more comfortable on Kiba's lounge.

Kiba grunted and shrugged. "Pfft, it's not like she's ever here to notice. She's lucky to return home at least three times a year and by then I can assure you the smell would be gone."

Kankurou then realised that for all the years he had known Kiba, he had only ever seen his mother once. Come to think of it, she was never home, probably the reason it was a bit of a touchy subject with Kiba. He did remember him saying something a few months back about his mother always travelling around the world for her work.

He thought of changing the subject but didn't have to when he noticed Kiba reach for his pocket. A grin snuck upon the Inuzuka's face as he read the text, knowing he had this situation in the bag.

_**Sure, sounds great. Should I just meet you at your place at around seven?**_

Kiba smiled at the thought of sleeping with Sakura. He may have been thinking too far ahead but at that moment it was the only thing keeping him interested. He was really starting to focus on the way she looked now. Her body was slim and elegant, and because she was so good at sport meant she was fit, meaning that when she slept with Kiba she could probably go for hours.

"What did she say?" Kankurou asked eagerly. He hated being left out of things like this.

"She's just asking where we should meet up. Dude, I can see myself having a lot of fun with this."

As soon as the words slipped from his mouth, he couldn't help but to feel a tad guilty. This was the girl he had been hanging out with since middle school. They had even been school project buddies at one stage a few years ago and now he was planning to sleep with her. _Get it together Kiba, in the end she's just another girl. And she clearly wants you so there is no point in dragging feelings into this._

Trying not to overthink the subject anymore, Kiba quickly hit the reply button.

* * *

><p>Sakura couldn't help but smile once she heard her phone light up yet again. The way she was acting was ridiculous, never had she acted so childish and juvenile over a boy. Especially one that she wasn't even so certain about. Was it the chase that was making her act this way? Or maybe it was the fact that she was finally getting over Sasuke? Whatever the reason may be, she liked it.<p>

_**How about I pick you up from your place? The movies are closer to your house than mine.**_

Sakura tapped away at the keypad of her phone and then paused to look over her message. It read, _'Ok, sounds good. See you then, goodnight '_

She waited a good thirty minutes for a reply, but didn't get one. It kind of killed her mood a little but she tried to ignore it. _Maybe he fell asleep?_ Oh, great. Maybe she was that uninteresting to talk to that the guy fell asleep out of boredom. Sakura sighed and shook her head, hating the way she always thought of the negatives from a situation.

The screaming and yelling from downstairs had finally come to a stop, so Sakura figured she should try and get some rest. After all, it was a Friday night and she had a big night ahead of her tomorrow. She quietly tiptoed across to her bedroom light and flicked it off, watching the light suddenly vanish from the room. She got under her blankets and snuggled in against her pillow, trying to ignore the nervous but excited beating her heart was creating.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok Ok Ok, before you go telling me that this chapter was 'stereotypical', keep in mind that I couldn't just change it straight away. Give me a bit of time first. But putting that to the side, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. If you didn't, well I apologise, and I'll try to make it up to you in the next chapter. This was also a bit shorter than the other chapters... but I think that's a good thing? Anyway, it doesnt matter.<strong>

**In the meantime, Review! But steer clear of flames. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

At about 1:00 on Saturday afternoon, Sakura entered her house covered in dirt and mud. On her right shoulder hung her bag full of soccer gear and in her left hand held a soccer ball clutched to her side. She wore a smile for once, which was different from the forever present look of uncertainty which often settled upon her face at school or at soccer games. But today she had a good reason to be happy. She had just one her game of soccer (scoring the winning goal and getting player of the match) and was now waiting to get ready for her date with Kiba.

She walked up the stairs with an unusual happy spring in her step and took in the peace and quiet of her home. Her mother was working and her dad was no doubt getting wasted at the local bar so she used the time to appreciate the silence. She smiled to herself as the sound of absolutely nothing filled her ears. _Why couldn't it be like this all the time._

She walked into her room and placed all of her gear on her bedroom floor. One by one, she took of her soccer boots and socks, followed by her shin pads. She gathered them up and walked to her laundry, placing the dirty clothes inside of the washing machine. From there she made her way into the bathroom and stripped down before slowly turning on the hot water tap to her shower. She gracefully stepped in and relaxed as soon as the steaming hot water washed away all the dirt and impurities that marked her skin from her soccer game. She ran both her hands through her short pink hair, closing her eyes and allowing the hot water to run flawlessly over her porcelain like skin. It was so peaceful. She liked it.

She thought about what it would be like to leave home, to be by herself with nothing to worry about, to just play soccer and hang out with her friends without the fear of being interrupted by her parents, and to work at her job earning money that she could keep all to herself. She told herself over and over that one day it will happen, and there was no way she was going to give up on that dream.

Sakura could hear the muzzled noise of vibrations coming from her phone which was sitting on the basin next to the shower. She turned off the taps and reached for her towel, wrapping it around herself and stepping out of the shower to walk towards her phone. She flipped it up and realised the text message was from Temari.

_**Going on a date with Kiba huh? I'll be over at your house in ten so you can tell me all about it. **_

_Argh, stupid Ino. I only told her an hour ago and she's already managed to tell people_. Sakura figured she should get dressed into something before Temari arrived. She thought about how she could explain this to Temari seeing as she was one of the friends that didn't really approve of the whole her and Kiba situation. Like Shikamaru, Temari kind of came across as an older sister, even though they were the same age. They weren't as close as Sakura and Shikamaru but she still looked out for her none the less.

Sakura dried herself off and put on a pair of shorts and a singlet top before throwing the towel over her head to dry her hair. Of course this wasn't the outfit she was planning on wearing that night, but she still had a few hours to fill in before she got ready. After a few minutes she heard a knock at the door and rushed down the stairs to answer it. There stood Temari, leaning against the door frame with her arms folded but with a smirk on her face.

"You do know I don't approve of this." The sandy blonde stated before welcoming herself past Sakura and into the house.

"Why hello to you Temari, come on in." Sakura replied sarcastically. The two made their way upstairs and into Sakura's bedroom.

"Listen, I know you think you like Kiba, but you don't always have to listen to Ino you know. I don't think what you're doing is right, using Kiba to get over Sasuke."

Sakura sighed. "I know what you're trying to say Temari, and I agree with you. But if you only saw the way I was acting last night... how worked up I was getting when he responded to my texts... it makes me think that maybe I really do like him."

Temari still wasn't convinced. She sat across from Sakura on the bed with her arms folded and looking intently at the pinkette. "But Sakura, the guy is known to be a heart breaker. Let's say that you really do fall for this guy. You end up doing some stuff with him and what not, and then he leaves you. Think about it, do you really need that on top of what you already have to deal with at home?"

Sakura didn't like it when people dragged her parents into situations. She lowered her glance towards the floor, making Temari full aware that she was hurt by what she said.

"Hey, come on now…" Temari said softly as she put her hand on Sakura's shoulder. "I didn't mean to bring them into it; I'm just trying to watch out for you…"

"Listen…" Sakura put her head up and looked the sandy blonde in the eyes. "Let's just see how tonight goes. You never know, I might be able to bring out a different side in him."

Temari didn't bother fighting back, but just nodded, not wanting to go too much into the conversation to a point where she might cause an argument.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you're actually doing this." Kankurou watched as the Inuzuka tore apart his bedroom, desperately looking for something to wear. Although Kiba's mum was rich and he had a closet full of clothes, almost all of his shirts and jeans were dirty and half hanging out of their drawers. His mother was never home to do the washing, or anything at all for that matter, and he was too busy trying to get chicks to realise his room looked like a bomb had hit it. There was a lady his mother had hired to clean the house monthly, but she and Kiba didn't get along, So she made sure to stay clear of his room.<p>

He chucked on the clothes he had found and walked to the bathroom. He didn't have to do much to his hair, for it always just fell into place. Actually, Kiba didn't really have to do anything at all; he was naturally good looking, and he knew it. He never had trouble getting girls because they all came to him. He didn't even have to try.

But tonight was different; he knew Sakura had more morals than the type of woman Kiba had previously slept with. He knew that trying to sleep with this girl wasn't going to be a walk in the park, so he had to try a little bit harder.

"Sasuke's going to be so pissed," Kiba laughed from inside his bathroom. "Can you imagine the look on his face when I tell him me and Sakura fucked?"

"When are you planning on telling him?"

"Telling him?" the dark haired teen laughed before continuing on. "I'm not even going to tell him. I think if it's a surprise, it will make it all the better."

Kankurou watched as Kiba emerged from the bathroom. "You're pretty certain about this, aren't you?"

"Kankurou," he started, pulling on his black t-shirt. "Tell me _one_ time where I haven't got the girl."

Kankurou thought for a minute, his mind pondering on the parties he, Kiba and Sasuke had attended in the past. He couldn't think of a time where Kiba didn't get the girl, but he did recall a few times where Sasuke had stolen the girl that Kiba had his eyes on. But there was no way he was going to mention that; Kankurou did indeed want to keep his head and not have it ripped off by and angry and short tempered Kiba.

"Exactly," Kiba said with a smirk, after a long moment of silence and agreeing to his own question. "The only hard part will be when I end it. But hey, surely Sakura wouldn't like me _that_ much to the point where she'll get all upset and stuff."

It was at that point Kiba remembered the day Sasuke broke up with Sakura. He couldn't recall seeing her in any of her classes that afternoon. He, Kankurou and Naruto decided to skip class and leave school, and as he was walking past the school sports ground he could vaguely remember seeing her kicking her soccer ball over and over again at the fence. Each kick was full of frustration and anger but he didn't forget the strongest emotion he could see on her face that day. The most visible emotion was the one of sadness, as tears streamed down her face. But of course he didn't care at the time. He just shrugged it off and laughed at the way girls let feelings get the better of them. _Girls can be so stupid. Seriously, they should really think about what they're getting themselves into before they go falling in love with us boys._

* * *

><p>It was six thirty, and Sakura's heart was definitely pounding hard against the inside of her chest. Whether it was from nerves or excitement, she didn't know, but one thing was for sure; it was something she was definitely looking forward to.<p>

She quickly glanced one last time in the mirror to check that everything looked alright. She wore her hair out like she usually did but tussled it a little to give it a more 'sexy' look. On her legs she wore a short black skirt that measured to her lower thighs, but it wasn't too short. She did make sure that it wasn't incredibly long either; she wanted to keep the Inuzuka interested, and judging by woman Kiba had been with in the past, this was bound to impress him. (Even if it wasn't what Sakura was used to wearing at all.)She wore a light pink boob tube with a dark grey, almost black lightweight cardigan over the top. She wore heels but they weren't high at all. They had just enough height to show she was dressy, but not _over_ dressy.

Sakura could hear a rattle from downstairs. It sounded like someone trying to clumsily turn the door handle to her house. _That sounds like… like someone's at the door?_ Sakura glanced at the clock on her bedroom wall and frowned when it only read six thirty-five. _Huh? Surely that can't be Kiba, he's half an hour early?_

Sakura made her way down stairs, confused as to why Kiba would arrive so early before their date. Lucky she was already ready otherwise she would be making Kiba wait, and she knew that boys hated waiting on girls. She made sure to do her studying after watching large amounts of chick-flicks.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs the door suddenly flung open with force. There, standing in the doorway, was _not_ who she expected to see. Her heart started to pound.

"Where does you think you're going...?" her dad slurred, a bottle of whisky in hand. Sakura could tell he was completely and utterly drunk. He slowly swayed from side to side, breathing heavily and struggling to keep his eyes fully open. He was a big man, so she made sure to stay out of his way. Sakura hadn't even considered her dad arriving home so early (or at all, for that matter) and was now starting to panic.

"I'm going out." She replied shortly. She had to get out of there quick; there was no way she was going to let Kiba witness what her dad was like. She turned around and started to make her way up the stairs so she could grab her stuff and quickly leave before her dad could say anything more.

"You're not goings anywhere…!" he yelled from downstairs, still continuing to slur and mispronounce his words. Sakura started to get frightened and quickly got the rest of her stuff together. As she neared the bottom of the stairs, he was standing there, blocking the end of the stair case and starring daggers.

"Dad, please move." The pinkette said, voice slightly trembling with nerves.

He didn't move. "Go and put some clothes on, you tramp."

Sakura refused to meet his gaze. She knew all about what her father could be like when he was drunk and angry. Unfortunately she had fallen many times due to his hands and abuse before. But she was not going to let him and his pathetic ways stop her from enjoying her night.

With a swift step, she attempted to duck underneath his arms and make for a move towards the door. She managed to get through, but before she knew it his fist was swinging through the air. She felt a sharp jab of pain hit her lower jaw hard but it wasn't enough to bring her down. She stumbled towards the door and opened it quickly to run out into the cold, empty street.

* * *

><p>Sakura sat on the curb at the top of her street, clenching her jaw with her hand. It was ten to seven and Kiba still hadn't arrived yet. She didn't expect him to be early. The only thing she was worried about was if she had a big, red, nasty lump swelling up on her lower cheek. <em>Please don't let him notice…<em> Sakura chanted over and over again in her head. She was used to being physically abused by her father but she wouldn't tell anyone about how he hit her due to the fact she was scared. They all knew about her father's love for the drink and her mum's constant lack of affection towards both Sakura and her dad, but they didn't know the abusive side to her life. And she planned to keep it that way.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. She quickly spun around and could notice a familiar figure walking along the street, his face lit up by the streetlights lining the side of the road. Kiba could also see Sakura, but because she wasn't sitting underneath a street light it was harder for him to see. He noticed that she stood up straight away as soon as she realised it was him. _What is she doing sitting in the streets like that? I'm pretty sure I told her in the text that I would pick her up from her house…_

Her stomach filled with butterflies. She felt as if she was going to be sick but suppressed the urges to bring up whatever her heart was trying to thump out. She tried to inhale a deep breath to calm herself down, but found herself faltering her breathing due to the nerves.

"Uh, what are you doing waiting out here?" he said, his breath looking like fog as he spoke.

She was a bit disappointed at his tone, and at the fact that she didn't even get a hello. She paused as she tried to think of something to say. "Uh, I thought it would be easier for you to meet me here. You know, so you didn't have to walk as much." She forced a sweet smile and turned her face slightly to the side so he couldn't see the mark on her jaw.  
>Even though the night hadn't exactly gone to plan so far, there was something that she was certainly pleased with. Kiba looked <em>hot<em>. He wore loose baggy jeans, and a nicely fitted black t-shirt. His hair was its usual messy self, and he smelt pretty darn good too.

"I see, well if you're ready I guess we can get going?" he asked whilst giving her a playful smirk. She felt herself relax a little when he smiled. At least now she knew he was a tad interested in the date.

"Okay," Sakura said whilst returning the smile.

The two walked for a few minutes side by side down the main street of Konoha. The air was cold and the streets weren't that busy, but conversation wasn't exactly flowing freely. Kiba noticed that she was trying a little too hard in her attempts to make it seem less awkward. To be honest Kiba wasn't even paying attention to what she was saying. He was fixated on the short, tight, black skirt Sakura was wearing around her butt and thighs. He certainly thought it was the best part of the date so far.

Eventually they arrived at the theatre, Sakura still nervous from the slightly awkward atmosphere she endured on the walk. They both stood at the board overhead which had the names of the movies they could watch printed on it in black letters.

"So tell me Sakura," Kiba started whilst they both stood deciding what movie to watch. "What made you want to hang out?"

She forced an awkward smile as the Inuzuka smirked down at her, a playful glint in his eye. _God, he was good looking_. But again she was stuck for something to say and she felt stupid for not preparing herself for these kinds of questions. She was almost certain that 'Oh, I'm just using you as a rebound' was not the right answer.

Quickly thinking up something in her head, Sakura began to answer. "Well it occurred to me that we've been friends for a few years now, but never really hung out one on one."

Kiba continued to look down on the pinkette and mischievously grinned. "One on one?" he said with a wink.

Sakura felt like slapping herself in the face. She knew that Kiba was a sleaze and Temari had warned her of what he can be like, and she goes and makes a stupid comment like that?

"Uh, well, I didn't quite m-mean it like that... I-I..."

"Ha, relax Haruno," Kiba said as he moved closer. "You're starting to sound like Hinata."

Sakura blushed from severe embarrassment. She was making a total fool out of herself. Since when did she stutter? She had always been a girl of confidence; not necessarily one of happiness, but she rarely ever got all shy and timid when it came to people. Especially boys.  
>What the hell was this guy doing to her?<p>

Kiba leant in close to her ear, hid warm breath against her skin sending a shiver down her neck. "We'll save the one on one till later." He quietly chuckled before walking over to the popcorn stand and buying a medium tub for both him and Sakura. He didn't usually buy things for the ladies when he was on dates, but seeing as he had some slight respect towards Sakura, he might as well try acting all sweet and kind. After all, He needed as much bonus points as he could get.

_Well, he's come on a bit strong, but you'd expect that with him_. Sakura thought as she shifted her stance. _But I didn't think he would be suggesting that already. But the good thing is, at least he's interested, right?_

The two bought their tickets and headed over to the cinema door entrance. The door lady took their tickets and showed them to their seats, where they made themselves comfortable. "Anything you want me to get for you?" he asked with a grin. She was quite shocked at how thoughtful he was being.

"No thanks, I'm good." She replied, returning the smile.

"Well if you need anything, let me know." Kiba slowly put his arm around the pinkette, causing her to slightly flinch at the contact. _Time to work my magic._

Kiba couldn't have been happier once the movie had finished. He thought it would be a good idea to pick a romance one, you know, to try and get Sakura in the mood, but it was the worst movie he had ever seen. Sakura seemed to take an interest in it but that was expected from her, being a girl and all.

They exited the theatre and stood in the foyer trying to adjust their eyes to the brightness. "That was great, what did you think?" said Sakura, trying to get conversation moving again.

Kiba wanted to say how horrible he thought it was, how he just wanted to get up and leave, but thought it would be best if he agreed with whatever she said. "It wasn't too bad." The brunette teen walked closer and reached out his hand, intertwining his fingers with Sakura's. She went to pull away because it was sudden but didn't, and allowed him to cup her hand as her heart start to race again. "How about we get out of here?" he said, successfully using his flirtatious smile to make Sakura's heart race even more.

"Yeah, sure" was all she could say. She walked hand in hand with the brunette out of the theatre a small smile crawling upon her lips. She felt herself starting to relax, when all of a sudden she remembered that she left her bag back at the theatres. "Shit," she mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"What's up?" he asked, stopping in sync with Sakura.

"My bag, I left it on one of the chairs in the foyer. I'll be two seconds,"

With that, Sakura released Kiba's hand and ran off back into the movie theatre leaving Kiba standing alone in the dark just outside. He rolled his eyes. "It's been two hours and I'm only up to holding hands with this girl," he mumbled, folding his arms. "I'd usually have a girl in bed by now."

Meanwhile, Sakura was walking through the foyer in search of her bag. She spotted it resting on a nearby chair and ran over to pick it up. As she was just about to exit through the doors, something caught her eyes. Something that made her heart drop. There, at the popcorn and confectionary stand, stood Sasuke and a pretty blonde girl. His arm rested around her waist as she had her hands touching his shoulders, laughing, smiling and whispering words into his ear. His hands rubbed up and down her sides and he smirked as she ran her hands through the front of his raven coloured hair.

He looked happy. A lot happier than he was when he was with Sakura. She felt her eyes start to sting and could feel tears desperately wanting to escape. She clutched her bag and turned quietly, walking unnoticed out of the theatre for a second time.

She felt mad. She felt angry. She felt worthless, sad and depressed. She needed to do something to take her mind off of him, to make her forget about everything she had just seen. _Why, why did I have to see that? He looked so happy; I had never seen him smile like that before, not when he was with me... is that how pathetic I really am? Not even having the capability to make my boyfriend smile, when some random slut off the street can?_

She saw Kiba standing up ahead with his hands rested in his pocket. He saw Sakura coming and straightened his stance, waiting for the girl to be by his side so he could attempt to hold her hand again, and possibly move onto something a bit more fun than just cupping hands with her.

But that's when Sakura thought of it. If she couldn't make Sasuke smile, then she was going to make Kiba smile. She then lost all sense of nerves and anxiousness. She was going to prove that she wasn't pathetic and she could do everything that stupid blonde with Sasuke could. Quickening her pace, she walked straight up to the Inuzuka and through her arms around his neck, smashing her lips on his. His eyes widened. At first he was shocked and couldn't believe what she was doing, but didn't waver on her actions. _She almost shied away from holding my hand, and then the next minute she's basically throwing herself at me? This girl is just full of surprises…_

Not even hesitating, Kiba let his hands rest upon her hips and opened his mouth to allow access for her tongue. And there they stood, on their first date, kissing in the darkness. The kiss was intense; Kiba could swear she was angry over something. But hey, that's just the way he liked it. It had a bit of heat to it and he was enjoying himself. He let his hands wonder up and down her sides as he pulled her closer to him before they both broke away for air.

"Well, that was unexpected." He said with a smirk. Sakura blushed and went to release him, all of a sudden realising what she had just done_. I can't believe I just done that!_ She screamed in her head. But before she could pull away he pulled her in again and pressed his lips against hers. She could feel the outline of his abs against her stomach and had to hold herself back from touching them; this was not the place to be doing such a thing. "I'm so sorry," she said as she pulled away. "I don't know what come over me…"

Kiba laughed. "Maybe we should hang out more often?" he grinned again before cupping her hands and walking her home. _This is going to be a lot more fun than I expected._

* * *

><p><strong>HOLY. CRAP. <strong>

**THIS. WAS. HORRIBLE. I was experiencing the worst writers block ever during this chapter, hence why I dribbled on with so much shit. I'm not even going to ask you to review. That's how disappointed I am with it.**

** wjhbfouwberoubfousapjh . - That's my frustration sentence.**

**Anyway, hope you all forgive me and keep tuned for the next chapter. *sigh.***


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone, sorry about taking a while with this chapter. I had a heap of school assignments to do and just didn't get around to writing. But I've managed to write the next chapter, and even threw in a little something for the NejiTen fans :) it's not heaps, but y'know. **

**I also forgot to put a disclaimer for last chapter. Again. -.- **

**Sooooo: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. And he is very lucky to have them.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The next morning was cold and rainy. The sky looked almost black as clouds covered up what was left of the morning sun's rays. Sakura turned in her sheets as the cool air coming through her bedroom window started to send shivers down her skin. She pulled the blankets and sheets up to her chest and snuggled into its warmth, as she thought about last night's events.<p>

She still couldn't believe she done it. Running up and just throwing herself at him like that. It wasn't like Sakura at all; she was usually so calm and refined. But seeing Sasuke act so happy with that girl had pulled at something inside her, something which made her feel low and dejected, something that made her feel instantly unhappy. Even though she was still friends with Sasuke she couldn't bring herself to watch him be so happy.  
>But why was she like that? Was it because Sasuke was happy, and she wasn't? Was it because he had moved on so easily, and she had not? Or maybe it was because she still wanted be the girl Sasuke could hold and cuddle with? Whatever the reason, she knew that it was never going to happen again. The only thing she could think of doing after she saw him with the girl was finding a way to supress the feelings she felt. And she figured she would use Kiba to do that.<p>

She knew that it was wrong. But after kissing Kiba last night she felt… happy. All those emotions she had felt when she saw Sasuke disappeared, and she smiled at the thought of the Inuzuka holding her close as they made out in the darkness of the street. And Kiba being an _amazing_ kisser made the situation a whole lot better. The only part of the night that made Sakura feel a little uncomfortable, was when Kiba had asked to come inside after walking her home. She had a feeling he wanted to sleep with her and felt a little bad when she didn't invite him in. She had morals, one being that she would never sleep with a guy on the first date. So when it came to Kiba she was making sure she wouldn't jump into things _too_ quickly. But after deciding not to sleep with Kiba last night, she couldn't help but wonder if he had lost interest and possibly given up. Had she made a mistake by saying no?

Sakura started to slowly darg herself out of bed before taking a quick shower. She felt dirty and desperately needed to wash off all her makeup from last night. She got out of the shower and dried her face, before wrapping the towel around her body. She reached for her work clothes which were folded up neatly on the basin; she had a habit of bringing her clothes into the bathroom and getting dressed as soon as she got out of the shower, instead of getting dressed in her room.

When she was ready for work she walked as quickly as she could for two blocks whilst trying to avoid the light shower of rain as much as possible. Eventually she reached the small, quiet café located on the corner of the main street of Konoha. The café wasn't fancy, nor was it extremely busy, but it did get the occasional customers in and all of them were friendly people. It wasn't the type of store that attracted thieves or snobby people. It was a very comfortable, relaxed, easy place to be.

Sakura walked through the front door, the little bell on top of the door frame jingling as she came in. The café had only one customer at the time, an old lady who was a regular was seated at the old rickety table by the window. Sakura walked by unnoticed and through a door that lead her out the back. As expected, Tenten and Neji were leaning against the wall making sure no customers could see them. Tenten's arms were rested upon Neji's shoulders as he cradled her around the waste, kissing her gently and causing contented giggles to escape from her lips.

"Hard at work you two?" Sakura laughed as the couple broke from their kiss. Tenten giggled and gently pushed Neji away as she realised she should get back to work.

"Oh, just taking a break," she smiled and winked at the pinkette as she wrapped an apron around her waist. Sakura said hello to Neji as she also wrapped an apron around her and pulled her hair back off of her face.

Sakura walked out to the front counter and glanced around at the near empty store. "So I'm guessing it hasn't been busy?"

"No, pretty quiet as usual." Replied Neji as he took Tenten into his embrace again. Tenten giggled.

"Neji, not in front of the customers!" she smiled.

"Tenten, look around. I don't see many customers, do you?" Sakura smiled warmly as she continued. "If you guys can't stop kissing for two minutes, I'm willing to cover for you so you can go out the back and kiss all you want."

Tenten continued to giggle at Neji who was tickling her waist with his fingers. "No we're good; Neji just has to learn to wait until the shift is over!"

Neji and Tenten were one and a half years older than Sakura and had left school a year ago. They worked full time at the Café Sakura also worked at and had been dating ever since Sakura could remember. Tenten, Neji and Sakura all got along really well, and in a way she kind of saw them as mentors. Since Sakura couldn't look up to and seek advice from her parents, whenever she needed recommendation or help with something she would ask Tenten and Neji.

She couldn't help but smile at the way Tenten's and Neji's relationship was. They looked so happy together, and from all the years she had known the two she had never seen them have a single argument. They always held each other and displayed public affection, reminding each other every day that what they had was real. Sakura wished that she and Sasuke had been like that. But hey, she couldn't change the past.

Tenten watched as Sakura made herself a coffee. She frowned and shook her head as she watched the pinkette walk around thinking Tenten hadn't noticed the marking on her lower cheek.

"So Sakura," Tenten started, walking up to her and standing beside her. "How did you get that bruise on your jaw?"

Sakura froze and her eyes slightly widened. She had tried to cover up the bruise with makeup but should have known Tenten was smarter than that. "Oh, this? I just got it playing soccer on Saturday, it's no big deal…"

Tenten sighed and shook her head. It was time to stop acting like she didn't know what was going on. She had a fair idea of what Sakura's situation was. "How long do you plan to keep this 'soccer injury' act up Sakura…" She nodded for Neji to go out the back, hinting that she needed to talk to Sakura alone. Neji got the hint and walked out the back, leaving the two girls to talk among themselves.

"I'm… I'm not lying..." Sakura said softly as she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She tried her hardest to keep them from spilling.

"I know what's going on Sakura. It's horrible for you to deal with something like that; it's not healthy to keep it bottled up inside you either. You need to tell someone Sakura... You can't keep dealing with this." Tenten's voice was soft with concern. She just wanted Sakura to stop being the victim of all this abuse.

"It's not that easy Tenten…"

"I can't imagine it to be," she scanned the shop with her eyes to make sure there was no customers listening in. "Just promise me you'll do something about it soon."

Sakura could only nod, not wanting to talk about the subject anymore. Tenten gave her a reassuring smile to try and lighten the mood. "So now that's out of the way, was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

Sakura was about to say no so they could drop the subject but then a thought occurred to her. "Uh, yes, there is actually…" she said. Sakura smiled awkwardly. "It's about a boy…"

Tenten's eyes lit up. "A boy?" a cheeky smile started to creep across her face.

"I just wanted to know, when did you realise you had feelings for Neji?"

Tenten frowned a little, confused at the question. "What's that got to do with a boy you like?" she laughed.

"It just helps me a little if I know,"

"Okay…" The brunette sat her elbow on the counter and rested her head in her hand, as she thought back to the day she realised she had feelings for the handsome Hyuga. "I remember it. Oh Neji, he certainly played hard to get."

"Hard to get?" Sakura questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I was dared to ask Neji out on a date by one of my friends. I didn't want to do it but I had no choice, so I asked him out to the movies one night knowing he would say yes. He wasn't considered one of the popular guys at school so I presumed he would jump at the chance to go on a date with a girl like me. But when I asked him he turned me down." Tenten chuckled to herself as she continued to remember. "Even though I didn't like him, I hated the thought of being turned down. So I tried and tried and tried, until finally he gave in, and we've been in love ever since."

Sakura smiled at the story. _Maybe if I play hard to get, Kiba will stay interested in me. That way I don't have to worry about trying to keep his attention_.

'"Thanks Tenten," Sakura said with a beaming smile.

Tenten returned the smile and got ready to serve a customer who just walked through the door. "Anytime."

* * *

><p>Kiba laid in his large King sized bed, his arms folded against his toned bare chest. He stared at the ceiling and listened to the rain pouring heavily onto the roof of his two story mansion. Thoughts of last night rang in his head, and slight anger set in. For one of the first times in Kiba's life, he was somewhat rejected.<p>

How was it that she didn't welcome him inside? If he wasn't mistaken, she was the one that threw herself at him when he was standing alone in the street. After that act of affection he would have sworn she _wanted_ to sleep with him. _Who the hell turns me down? She was the one who kissed me! And I'm a great kisser, so kissing wouldn't have been the reason she didn't sleep with me._

He rose from his bed and put on a T-shirt which was lying on his bedroom floor. He thought long and hard about a plan that would make trying to sleep with Sakura easier. Usually his charm would be enough, but this girl was a hard one to break. It's not that he didn't enjoy himself last night; he actually enjoyed Sakura's company believe it or not. But hugging and talking wasn't his thing, he liked _action._

He sluggishly walked downstairs to fix himself up some breakfast, only to notice Kankurou sitting in his living room watching TV. Kiba scratched the back of his head and yawned.

"Welcoming yourself in again I see?" he said as he shook his head.

Kankurou rested his hands behind his head and made himself even more comfortable. "You should be used to it by now," he replied with a smirk.

"Yeah yeah." Kiba walked to the fridge and grabbed the carton of milk before sitting at the kitchen table and pouring him some cereal. Kankurou walked into the kitchen and glanced around as if he was looking for something, a confused but cheeky expression on his face.

"Well well," he started, folding his arms. "I was expecting a pretty little pink haired girl to walk down the stairs straight after you, a sheet wrapped around her body and complimenting you on what an amazing night you gave her. But it looks like you're alone?"

Kiba snarled at his best friend. _Stupid Kankurou and his sarcastic jokes. I get more action than he ever will. _But to be honest_, _Last night Kiba was expecting to wake up to the same thing. "Yeah, turns out this challenge is a bit harder than I expected."

"Don't tell me the one and only Kiba Inuzuka was… rejected?" Kankurou said with a sarcastic look of disbelief on his face. He felt like laughing hysterically at his own joke but didn't want to piss of the Inuzuka _too_ bad.

"Whatever man, did it occur to you that maybe I like a little bit of a challenge?"

Kankurou joined Kiba by sitting down at the kitchen table. "You wouldn't even know what a challenge is," he said rolling his eyes. "You've always got what you wanted."

"Well I didn't get what I wanted last night." Kiba thought in silence for a bit, using the spoon to stir the cereal in his bowl lazily. "Wait, I got it!"

Kankurou sat looking at the Inuzuka, who was now standing up with a mischievous smirk plastered across his face. "Uh, got what?" he asked confusingly.

Kiba smirked and secretly praised himself for coming up with such a good idea. "I'll throw a party next weekend. I'll invite Sakura and get her totally wasted, and then she'll sleep with me. There's no doubting it."

"You do realize that that is a horrible thing to do." Kankurou said, giving the Inuzuka a blank expression. He knew Kiba would commit low acts to get a girl, but not _that_ low.

"Relax princess," Kiba said, rolling his eyes at Kankurou's sensitiveness. "It's not like I'm going to spike her drink or anything."

They both sat in silence for a few seconds, picturing the events that would happen in the coming weekend. Although Kankurou wasn't all for the getting-Sakura-drunk scheme, he was indeed keen for a party. And what better place would be fit for a party other than the Inuzuka mansion?

"I'll tell everyone at school tomorrow, and hope that Sakura hears about it. That way she'll ask to come and I'll know she wants to drink, and before you know it I'll have this challenge completed."

* * *

><p><strong>How did you like that chapter? It's a little short, but eh. I liked writing it but it's up to you if you liked it or not. What's going to happen next I wonder? ;) review if you like, if not, stay tuned for the next chapter :D but no flames. Thanks :)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Isn't writers block just fantastic? -_-**

**I'm going to try and put a week's worth of writing into this chapter so I'm sorry if it seems confusing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters used in this fic, blah blah blah, they all belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

><p>It was Monday morning.<p>

Sakura walked side by side with her three best friends Ino, Temari and Hinata down the school corridor, her emerald green eyes scanning the corridor nervously for a certain Brown haired teen. Students buzzed around their lockers and chatted excitedly about their weekend, Ino was busy looking at herself through a little make up pallet mirror, pouting her lips and giving a confident flick of her long blonde hair. Ino was too busy looking at her reflexion to pick up on Sakura's nerves but Temari and Hinata were full aware of the uneasiness Sakura was feeling.

"A-are you Ok?" Hinata asked, looking up at Sakura with concerned violet eyes.

"Yeah I'm fine, why's that?" Sakura replied, full aware of what Hinata was saying but trying to act oblivious to her question.

Temari rolled her eyes. "You seriously think we believe you when you say that?

Sakura sighed, it wasn't easy putting things past Temari. "Fine, I'm nervous, happy?"

"Nervous about what?" Ino asked, only now joining the conversation.

'If you weren't so busy looking at yourself you would know." The sandy blonde said with a hint of annoyance in her tone. She liked Ino but they often clashed, probably because they were two completely different people, and both had strong personalities.

"Well, if it isn't Miss moody…"

"I'm not moody Ino, you should probably just pay more attention to your best friend."

"G-guys..." Hinata said quietly as she tried to break the two up from arguing. "D-do you have to d-do that now?"

The two looked down and stopped their arguing, feeling awkward about the silence which was filling the space between them. "So…" Ino started, looking at Sakura. "What's the go with this whole nervous thing?"

"Since you all _must_ know, I'm feeling awkward about seeing Kiba. There, you got it out of me, now drop it."

The three girls looked at Sakura dumbfounded, not really appreciating the attitude she was giving them at all. "Well, no need to get all snappy about it. Gee, what's wrong with everyone today?" Ino murmured before walking into the classroom.

* * *

><p>Lunch time came around before she knew it and Sakura had found herself sitting awkwardly at the lunch table, beside Ino and Hinata. She noticed Hinata also had nerves around the boy she liked as she watched her twiddle her fingers, look at the ground and blush as she spoke to Naruto. Yeah they were cute together, even if they weren't official yet, they suited each other, but they had been hanging out for a while now and Sakura thought Hinata should be acting more confident around him. Sakura did feel for the girl though, for she knew what it was like. She felt the exact same nerves and uneasiness when she was around Kiba, yet she couldn't get enough of it.<p>

Kiba sat at the table across from her, talking casually to Sasuke and Kankurou. She couldn't hear what they were talking about and she didn't really want to know either; no doubt it would have been about Sasuke's weekend with that trampy blonde.

"Go talk to him," Ino said as she nudged her in the arm. "There's no point in eye stalking him from across the table."

Sakura blushed and pushed Ino gently. "Don't put it that way! You make me seem like some kind of stalker or something."

"Well it is what you're doing isn't it?" the blonde said with a grin.

Sakura shook her head and brought her voice down to a whisper so the boys couldn't hear. "I'm not talking to him while Sasuke's there."

"Have you had any classes with him yet?"

"One… and I guess you could say it went pretty well. We didn't sit next to each other but every time I looked up he was smiling at me, and would wink or do something like that." She shifted in her seat and put her head in her hands. "But he hasn't even bothered to look at me at all since lunch began."

Ino focussed her eyes on the handsome Inuzuka and raised an eyebrow, thinking why he would be acting so hot and cold. She knew Kiba, and he didn't seem like the type of person who would flirt one minute and ignore you the next. He was a constant flirter and kept at it until he got what he wanted. "Then go to him," she started as she focussed her bright blue eyes back on Sakura. "You make the first move; after all, _you_ are the one who likes him."

Sakura rolled her eyes, she didn't like when someone as dumb as Ino was right. "And also ask him about his party. I've heard through a few of the other students that he's throwing one at his house this weekend." The blonde added.

When the school bell had rung the students started to clear the area and slowly head towards their next classes. Sasuke and Kankurou had already left along with Naruto and Hinata, she hadn't seen Temari all lunch and Ino was just about to leave. "Now's your chance girl!" she pushed Sakura towards Kiba before running off, almost causing her to bump into the brunette.

"Well hey you," he said with a flirtatious smirk. "I was starting to think you were avoiding me?"

Those nervous butterflies started to swell inside Sakura's stomach again as she looked directly into his brown eyes. She didn't mean to, but once she looked at them it was as if she was stuck, or caught in his glare or something, whatever it was she wanted to stop so she didn't look like an idiot. "Ignore you?" she forced a tiny laugh. "Why would I do that?"

"Aw I don't know, was just wondering I guess." Kiba walked forward and positioned himself close to Sakura. He was tall enough to stand over her and close enough for her to feel his breath on her skin, not that she didn't like it, but it was different from the behaviour he had shown her at lunchtime. "You wouldn't be having post-date nerves would you?"

It was weird for him to be standing this close to her, and again she was fixated in his eyes. Kiba didn't admit it but he was stuck looking into hers as well. She forced a nervous laugh and tried not to make it obvious that that was _exactly_ what she was having. "Of course not. Maybe I just thought _you_ were having post-date nerves?"

The Inuzuka laughed and continued to look down at her with a toothy, cheeky grin. "Me? Post-date nerves? You do realise you're talking to Kiba Inuzuka don't you Haruno?"

"Yeah I know," Sakura tried to appear confident and flirty. "But you've never been on a date with _me _before have you?"

"Well what do you know, I have myself a cheeky one," Kiba grinned again and leant in so his mouth was beside her ear. Her heart continued to thump as she felt his breath against her ear causing shivers to run down her spine. He smirked and brought his voice down to a whisper. "Well maybe we should do something to calm these post-date nerves of ours?"

"Maybe we should," Sakura smiled cheekily. She didn't exactly know what she was agreeing to but if it meant spending more time with Kiba, then she was interested.

"Well, then I guess I'll see you 'round Haruno."

She returned the sneaky flirtatious grin he was giving her. "Yeah I guess you will, _Inuzuka_."

* * *

><p>Tuesday came around slowly, followed by Wednesday, and then finally Thursday afternoon. The two had been talking a bit over texts and sometimes when they were at school, but only when they were by themselves. He had asked her numerous times through text messages if he could come over and 'hang out', and even though Sakura would've liked that, the fact that her father was an abusive aggravated drunk stopped her from saying yes.<p>

But even though the two had been talking, Sakura was starting to worry that he had not asked her to his party yet. After the conversation they had after lunch on Monday she thought for sure he was keen to hangout. She had heard through heaps of her friends and students at school that it was definitely happening, so why hadn't he asked her? She couldn't think of anything she had said that may have offended or pissed him off, they hadn't had any disagreements either and it was starting to get to her. Was he talking to other girls? Maybe he didn't want her to go? Maybe he had other girls he was talking to, and didn't want her to find out?

She was starting to over think the situation and her gut started to fill with a nervous and dejected feeling. She kicked at the soccer ball beneath her feet and watched as it shot through the air, hitting the cross bar and rolling slowly back over the grass towards her. _I'm going to get no training done if I keep thinking about it_, she thought as she took another swing at the ball. This time it lifted even further than the last, and went soaring over the cross bar and onto the grass behind the goal posts. She shook her head at the way she was playing and sat down in the grass. This stupid guy was throwing off her game, and he wasn't even there! She picked at the grass with her fingers before wiping small beads of sweat off her forehead with the back of her palm. Come on Sakura, get your act together.

As she was seated in the grass, she didn't realise the handsome Inuzuka leaning on the fence behind her, watching her train and release her frustrations through every swipe of the ball. He was passing by the local sports field on his way to Sasuke's and noticed a small head of pink hair running laps of the oval. He thought that he would go check it out, even talk to her for a bit, since she never let him go around to her house. If this girl liked him so damn much, why did she use every excuse in the book to avoid meeting up with him after school?

He wasn't going to stay for long, just the quick hello, maybe even a few compliments to increase his rank in the good books, maybe a kiss or two followed by a goodbye. But for some strange, weird reason that even he didn't know, he was absorbed in watching her train. It wasn't in some sick or creepy way, it was just… different. He didn't know many girls who were so wrapped up and passionate about what they did so watching Sakura display such ferventness and eagerness at something she loved somewhat struck a chord in him.

He leant against the fence which was meant to keep the crowed off the field at Soccer and Football games. Of course the field was empty now because there was no game on. But on weekends it was usually jammed to the max.  
>He noticed the pinkette drop to the ground in frustration, and start tearing softly away at the grass beneath her, giving herself a rest before she continued. He figured now would be a good time to go over and say something, since she wasn't busy.<p>

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the balls were meant to go through those two posts?"

Sakura's head shot up at the sound of his voice. _Was he… was he watching me this whole time?_

She turned to face Kiba as he walked over towards her, seating himself right next to her on the grassy ground. He looked _good_; he wore black jeans and a nicely fitted white t-shirt, although he was holding his jacket instead of wearing it. His hair still looked slightly damp and it was obvious he had not long got out of the shower. And he smelt amazing as well. Maybe it was just because she smelt sweaty and dirty, but the smell of guys deodorant, or cologne, or maybe it was aftershave? Whatever one it was, lingered in the air around them and he smelt good.

Totally embarrassed of the state she was in, she fidgeted with her hair to make sure it wasn't messy or out of place and sighed. "It's meant to, but I guess today just isn't my day."

Usually Kiba didn't like seeing people covered in dirt but on Sakura it was sexy. To him it portrayed a girl who was all for getting down and dirty and maybe a little rough whilst she was at it. "Well I don't think sitting here ripping up the field is going to help."

She laughed at his comment and stopped picking at the lawn beneath her. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh, I was just passing by and saw these soccer balls flying everywhere but through the goal posts. So I thought I'd check it out."

"Haha, very funny." Sakura said bluntly. Although she appeared calm and confident, on the inside she was stressing and panicking about what she looked like. _Oh god, he must think I look like a complete idiot! I'm covered in dirt, I smell, and look like crap! He's never going to talk to me again after this!_

"I like to think of myself as a funny person, but I leave the funny business up to Kankurou." He laughed at his own hint of sarcasm and continued on. "Why are you training up here by yourself anyway?"

"Well I had nothing better to do, and being at home sucks."

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "Oh, nothing better to do huh? You could always do me?"

Sakura didn't know whether to laugh at or ignore his comment. At least now she knew he was still interested after witnessing her look like crap. She blushed slightly and couldn't think of the words to reply. All that came out was a distorted laugh, and a few words that weren't completed due to stuttering and lack of thought.

Kiba laughed and rested his arms on his bent knees. "Relax Haruno, I was kidding."

"Oh," she replied, feeling a little relieved. She didn't like it when he put her on the spot like that, even if she was secretly a tad flattered.

"But seriously, you could of hit me up with a text or something and we could have hung out." He smiled a cheeky grin her way to let her know he was keen, but showing it in a subtle way.

"I guess I just forgot all about it," she replied, doing up her undone shoelace. She realised that she had slightly dug herself into a hole when she said she had nothing better to do, because she knew that Kiba was desperate to spend some 'quality time' with her, or as he called it. She didn't want to make up excuses because she really did want to spend time with him, but she had no choice and always had to say that she was busy doing homework or working, but this time she had been caught out.

"So I guess I'm not that fun to hang out with if you just forgot about me?" He said, deciding to torment her and make her feel bad. Of course he was only kidding, but he wanted to play around a little and hear what she really did think of him, but this time from the mouth of Sakura, not Ino.

"No, that's not it at all!" she replied as tried to make him believe her without telling him the _real_ reason he couldn't come over. "I do like hanging out with you, your fun and hot and-" she flung her hand to her mouth as she realised what she was saying. Gee, way to make herself sound desperate.

Kiba smiled, absorbing the compliments she accidently spilled. "You forgot to mention strong and amazing in bed in that list?" _Not that she has found that out yet…_ he thought.

"Oh god, I just made a total fool out of myself, didn't I…" she replied as she hid her face in her hands. _Why the hell would I say that! I'm such an idiot!_

He smiled cheekily and laughed at the way she was acting. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with telling the truth Haruno?"

Ignoring the fact that her face was now the same colour as her hair, Sakura could do nothing but force an embarrassed laugh. Kiba stood and looked at his watch as the air started to become cold and the sky was getting dark. "Well anyway, I better get going, got stuff to do. Later Haruno,"

As he was just about to walk away Sakura couldn't help but notice he still hadn't mentioned anything about his party. Now it was starting to get frustrating.

Pondering on whether or not to ask him, Sakura forced up a wave of confidence and came straight out with it. "Kiba, wait…" she said as the brunette stopped walking. "Are you having a party this weekend?"

_Bingo._

Kiba turned and smiled his always present smirk, and folded his arms. "Yeah, you coming?"

"Was thinking about it," She kicked at the dirt beneath her when he didn't reply. It fell silent, and Sakura decided that he wasn't going to say much more. "What time does it start?"

"Seven. I better see you there Haruno," and with that, Kiba winked and walked off the soccer field, leaving the pinkette standing at the end of the field by herself.

Well, she guessed that that was her invitation… right?

* * *

><p>The week was almost finally over. It was Friday afternoon and the bell had just echoed through the school, informing the students that it was at last time to go home.<p>

Sakura usually caught the bus back to her house once school had finished, but because the sun was shining and it was such a nice day, she decided that she and Shikamaru would walk home. They talked about the usual things; school, teachers, assignments, upcoming parties and work. She missed seeing Shikamaru every day. The two used to be almost inseparable until high school came along and popularity got in the way of everything along with their parents feud. Ino used to hang out with them a lot to, but once she realised her status in the school was much higher than his she made sure she had nothing to do with him.

Placing his hands in his pockets and looking up at the clouds, Shikamaru lazily sighed. "So I don't really want to ask, but as a friend, I'm obliged to. How are things with you and Inuzuka?"

Sakura smiled. "It's actually really good, we've been talking a lot lately."

"I never see you together at school though?" he questioned as he turned his gaze to her.

"We do talk, I guess, but it's usually when no one else is around. I think it's because we don't want anyone presuming anything in case it doesn't work out."

"Or he just wants to use you for sex and then break up with you, without putting a dint in his innocent sleaze ball reputation."

Sakura frowned and folded her arms, not liking it when he dissed on Kiba. "I think it's different this time." Well, she sure hoped it was different. "And besides, what you said doesn't even make sense. Innocent sleaze ball? What's that all about?"

"Ugh fine, I'll have to explain it… what a drag," Shikamaru sighed and also folded his arms. "Everyone knows he's good with the ladies. He sweet talks them, sleeps with them, and still upholds his reputation. Now if it were any normal guy, like me for example, if I broke up with a girl all her friends would hate on me, and I would have a slight possibility of getting bashed by her over protective guy friends. Do you ever see that happen to Kiba? No, didn't think so."

"You? Have a girlfriend? Ha!" Sakura scoffed.

"I was using me as an example." Shikamaru said bluntly. "But by the term innocent Sleaze ball, I mean he can get away with being sleazy and everyone would still swoon over him."

"Well he hasn't hurt me yet, so we'll just see how things go."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sluggishly kicked at a loose rock on the road. "Yeah, 'yet'…"

"Hey, if I can remember you were the one who told me to text him."

"Only because I knew you'd do want you want anyway." He replied.

Sakura laughed to herself and looked up at the sky. "You know me to well Shika."

The two kept walking until they reached Shikamaru's house and said their goodbyes. Sakura continued to walk, as she still had a fair way to go, but she didn't mind. Her house was a fair distance from the school and she knew it would be near dark by the time she reached home.

She could hear the noise of a car, and it seemed to be getting closer. She tried to ignore it but became a little worried as it neared. She picked up her pace, fastening her footsteps and hoping that whatever was driving behind her would pass without any hassles. The next minute she saw a flash red sports car pull up beside her and the window rolled down slowly revealing the familiar face inside.

"Well imagine seeing you here Haruno?"

"Kiba?" she said as she continued to walk. "Is this your car?"

"Sure is, want a lift?" he replied, nodding for her to get in.

She hesitated for a while, thinking whether or not it was a good idea to jump into the car with him. She wanted to due to the fact it was getting dark, and she was starting to get cold, but who knows what he'll try to pull if she agreed to it.

"I'm not going to try anything, if that's what you think."

The pinkette stopped and wondered if she had said it aloud. "Well, I don't see why not…" she opened the door to the car and stepped in, admiring the expensive leather seats and fancy interior. "I never knew you had a car?" she asked.

Kiba grinned and admired his ride. "Yeah, I don't drive it to school because I'd rather walk. This body doesn't look so great just because I own a car you know, I need a bit of exercise once in a while."

Sakura was usually put off by comments like that, but when it came to Kiba, everything he said was true. He did have an incredible body. She could remember this one time in PE at the start of the year where they were doing cross country, and had to jog up this mountain at the back of the school. It was a hot day that day and the boys decided to jog shirtless. Boy, was that a good day.

"Whatever," she said with a cheeky grin. "So are you excited about your party tomorrow?"

"I guess. I take it you're coming?"

"Oh, I was thinking about making an appearance,"

"You better," he said with a wink. "It'll be worth it." He smiled his famous playful smile. Why did he have to be so seductive and cute? As much as she didn't want fall too quickly, he was certainly making it hard. She felt like grabbing his face and kissing him right then and there, and even though he would have gladly accepted it, she restrained herself and reminded herself that she was playing hard to get.

His car pulled into Sakura's drive way with ease. She grabbed her school bag and sat staring at her front door for a while. She noticed her mum's car was gone, but that was expected. She thought maybe her dad would be home from the pub by now, but his car was nowhere to be seen either. Sakura had the house to herself.

She turned to the brunette and smiled weakly. "Looks like mum and dad aren't home, did you want to come in for a bit?"

Kiba smiled. He smiled big. Was it possible he could sleep with her before his party? He figured the way she was acting was making it very obvious that she wanted him to come inside for a reason. "Sure thing."

The two walked upstairs and into Sakura's bedroom. He looked around and noticed that her house had a lot of empty alcohol bottles scattered around the place. It wasn't messy, but there was an unusual amount of bottles and cans everywhere. Her house was nowhere near as big as his, but it was still nice. The two houses did indeed share one similarity though; there were no baby photos or photos of family to be seen.

Sakura sat on her bed as Kiba looked around. He found a case of CD's sitting upon her dressing table and started to flick through the list of bands, his brows furrowing with confusion. "A Day to Remember? Blink 182? Story of the Year? I had no idea you were into this type of music?"

Sakura smiled and sat up, facing the Inuzuka from her bed across the room. "I've never really been into all that mainstream stuff, it gets annoying."

"I agree with you. I listen to these guys too."

"You do?" she asked with amazement. Not one of her friends liked her music and it was kind of a shock that Kiba of all people listened to the same stuff she did.

"Yeah, I've never been a fan of mainstream stuff either." He placed the case of CD's back onto her dressing table and turned to face Sakura. She sat on her bed in her school uniform with her legs crossed, looking surprisingly content. Kiba had picked up on her nerves at the start of the week, and every day he was noticing her become more and more comfortable, much to his liking. Everyday brought him one step closer to sleeping with her.

He smiled at her, and allowed his eyes to scan over her body. "What?" she giggled as she noticed he was staring at her.

"Nothing," he replied as he walked over to her. "I only just realised how cute you looked in your school uniform."

Sakura's heart started to beat a little faster. Was it actually about to happen? She couldn't. Not yet at least. She had to make sure he was in this for real.

When he reached her, he bent down and leaned over the top of her, causing her to lie back until she was only just elevated on her elbows. His hands rested either side of her as he stared directly into her emerald coloured eyes, gently resting his body on top of her.

Sakura didn't know what to say, she only hoped that he couldn't feel her heart beating against his chest. They just laid there for what seemed like ages, looking into each other's eyes, waiting for someone to make the first move. Kiba was good at this game. He could've waited all day.

Sakura on the other hand was losing it. She just wanted him to hurry up and kiss her, but figured he wasn't going to be making the next move. After all, he was already lying on top of her.  
>Finally breaking, Sakura leant forward and smashed his lips on his. He immediately allowed access for her tongue and allowed all his weight on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to fall on top of her, heck she was basically dragging him down on to her. Their kissing was heated and it didn't take them long before they had to pull apart for air, only to find themselves looking at each other again.<p>

She was breathing heavily and so was he. "I knew you'd break," he said with a grin.

"Well you've probably had more people to practice on then I have," she said through panted breaths.

"You're right," he leaned in and kissed her again. "And that's how I know you'll like it when I do this…" he planted a soft, delicate kiss on her neck. It was enough to send goose bumps down her porcelain like skin and she gasped slightly at the contact. "And this," he continued to plant kisses down her neck, each one a tiny bit lower than the first. Soon enough he was kissing down her collar bone, occasionally nipping or sucking at her skin. He started to undo the buttons to her white school shirt, exposing her skin and black bra underneath. From then on he continued to plant kisses down her chest, and down her stomach.

She wanted to resist, to tell him to stop, but she was enjoying this, maybe even a little too much. He certainly knew what he was doing. Every spot he touched, kissed or sucked at sent a shiver around her entire body, physically telling him to continue, even though her mind was saying no.

He proceeded to kiss gently down along the centre of her stomach, before reaching her abdomen. As he was feeling at his prime and knew he had this in the bag, he was suddenly stopped. He looked at the pinkette with confusion, and was somewhat pissed off. "What's wrong?"

'It's getting late," she said as she sat up. He lifted himself off of her as he continued to wonder what the hell she was doing. _Why is she stopping now? We've gotten this far haven't we?_

'So?"

"You should probably get home. My parents will be home soon." She buttoned up her shirt which Kiba had taken the pleasure of unbuttoning and leaned in closer to him. She brought her voice down to a whisper and looked into his seductive brown eyes. "We'll finish this another time."

Disbelief washed over his face like a wave. He couldn't believe it. "You're kidding, right?"

She smiled, and kissed him one last time. "I'm afraid not."

He had to stop he jaw from dropping and keep his cool. He couldn't be too pushy with her as this was Sakura. It wasn't some cheap slut he could pressure into doing what he wanted. He collected his gear unwillingly and walked to the door before turning to face the pinkette who was once again sitting on her bed with her legs crossed. "We'll finish this tomorrow night then?" he said with a grin.

"If you're lucky," she replied with a smile. Little did he know what Sakura was really thinking. _Yes, we will be finishing this tomorrow night!_

* * *

><p><strong>Holy crap, for someone experiencing writers' block I certainly did make this pretty long! And yes, I put my favourite bands in there. I couldn't help it; I was listening to them at the time and just <strong>_**had**_** to. **

**What did you think? The party is in the next chapter, I wonder what will happen? Review if you like, it's up to you. :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey everyone… I apologise if this chapter isn't as good as you want it to be. My mate has just passed away in a car accident and I haven't really been myself. I took a day off school to think about things and decided to write this chapter to get it out of the way so I could focus on some stuff. So yeah. Hope it isn't too bad.**

**I do not own Naruto. Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. **

* * *

><p>"Hurry up Ino, we're about to leave!" Temari called from the front door. She was starting to get frustrated; sometimes waiting on Ino was painful. Sakura, Hinata and Temari had all been ready for over half an hour, and even though Ino started to get ready long before them, she was still the last to finish.<p>

"Beauty takes time!" she called out from her bathroom. They all rolled their eyes and stood impatiently at her front door. Kiba's party had started half an hour ago and they were all just ready to hurry up and leave.

"I'm counting down from ten Ino, and if you're not down here, we're leaving without you!"

Sakura couldn't agree more with Temari at this point. Sakura was the most excited out of the group, and couldn't be more eager to get there. She had made sure she looked good; her small, tight, white cocktail dress was bound to impress anyone and everyone at the party.

"Four, three, two… one! That's it, we're leaving!"

As the three girls were about to exit through the front door of Ino's house, the blonde finally decided on getting ready and strutted down the stairs. Once she was at the bottom she struck a pose by putting her hand on her waist and cocking her hip out to the side. She wore the tiniest strapless black dress Sakura had ever seen in, with extremely high silver stilettos. "Well, how do I look?"

_Like a slut_ Sakura wanted to say, but it was her best friend, and she wasn't going to insult her. "You look hot Ino, now can we please hurry up and leave?" Sakura replied as she tapped her foot.

At last the group of four found themselves walking down the street on their way to Kiba's. Sakura looked around and could also see that students form her year and the years below were also walking there, carrying there alcohol beside them in their hands, and yelling and stuffing aound. She thought that was a dumb idea seeing as the police could be anywhere, and they were all underage. The other three girls had been smart and hid their alcohol in their purses so it wasn't obvious, but Sakura didn't bring any alcohol; drinking wasn't her thing. Not after watching what it did to her father. She knew she could have a perfectly good time at a party without drinking.

"So who's getting with who tonight ladies?" Ino said slyly as she continued to strut along the street.

Temari rolled her eyes. "It's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

"Well it's obvious when it comes to Naruto and Hinata…" Hinata blushed at Ino's comment. "And I'm presuming Sakura will be with Kiba?"

"Maybe, maybe not…" the pinkette replied. She hadn't told anyone about the make out session that Sakura and Kiba had had the night before, but still smiled brightly at the thought of it. She thought about telling them but knew that Temari would only disapprove and Ino would go and tell everyone. Hinata would probably be the only one that would listen, but she didn't get to see much of her anymore, she was always with Naruto.

"As if you won't," Ino continued as she nudged Sakura in the arm in jest. "You totally like him, and if you don't make your move on him tonight, I will."

Sakura's brows furrowed with jealousy. Why would she say something like that? She knew her friend was promiscuous, but not to the point where she would steal the boy her best friend likes. She appreciated what Ino had done to get them this far but did not like it at all when Ino made that comment. Sakura was extremely excited to spend the night with Kiba and didn't want Ino to wreck it with a comment like that. "Uh, I don't think so Ino."

Ino smirked mischievously and couldn't help but laugh at how serious her best friend had taken her comment. "Relax Sakura, it was only meant to get you to talk to him."

"Yeah I know," she replied, but still not fully sure that she was telling the truth. If Ino hadn't slept with Kiba in the past she probably would have believed her, but because she had, made her wonder.

After a few more minutes of walking the four girls had finally arrived at the giant mansion in which Kiba lived. The house was full of people, with people socialising in the yard, on the balcony, and there were even a few drunken idiots jumping off of his roof and into the pool out the back. Loud music blared from inside the house and pretty much everyone seemed drunk, but the house didn't look like it was too trashed, yet.

They walked inside the front door and made their way past crowds of people, couples were making out against the walls, and a group of boys were chanting loudly as they played some sort of drinking game in the kitchen. A few of the boys were even eyeing Sakura up and down, pleased with what they saw. "The party has arrived!" Ino yelled as she made her way over to a group of older boys. They welcomed her with open arms but it made Sakura wonder if they even knew her.

She looked to her side and already realised Naruto with Hinata. "Hey Naruto," Sakura smiled as she stood next to the two. She could tell he had been drinking but he wasn't drunk yet.

"Sakura!" he yelled before embracing his cousin with a hug. "I actually have to ask you something,"

Sakura raised a brow. "Ask me what?"

"It's not true about you and Kiba is it? Surely someone as smart as you wouldn't be falling for a jerk like him!"

She rolled her eyes at her over protective cousin. Here was another person trying to warn her about Kiba. She was starting to get sick of every one of her friends disapproving of him, he wasn't even that bad! "Relax Naruto; I know what I'm doing. I've already heard enough of this from Shikamaru and Temari, I don't need any more parenting."

She smiled and waved at the two before walking away, not giving Naruto the chance to reply. She wanted to come here and have fun tonight, spend time with Kiba, and not be fathered by her cousin. She had been looking forward to this party all day and wasn't going to let anyone ruin it.

The amount of drunken teens stumbling around the place started to remind Sakura of home. Although they weren't violent they were starting to make a mess of Kiba's house, and she didn't really think that Kiba would like it. Speaking of Kiba, Sakura looked around and couldn't find him anywhere. She realised she was standing by herself; Temari must have wandered off somewhere and Ino and Hinata were with boys. _Well, this is just great,_ she thought as she leant against the wall with her arms folded. She rolled her eyes as she saw Zaku stumble over to her with a sickening grin on his face. He was one of the last people she wanted to see. _What the hell is he even doing here? Surely he wouldn't have received an invite._

"Well well well, Sakura's looking good enough to eat," he slurred as he almost stumbled on top of her.

"Get off me Zaku, you're gross." She replied shortly. She turned her head to the side to try and ignore him, but he didn't stop.

"Aw come on love, you know you want me."

"Ew, you have got to be kidding!" she scoffed as she glared at him in disgust. So far her night wasn't going as she had planned.

But all of a sudden she saw two strong hands push Zaku to the ground and a familiar voice appeared from behind him. "Back off dude, this girl is mine,"

She smiled when she saw Kiba and felt a warm feeling inside when he had protected her like that. But the warm happy feeling started to disappear when she realised he was in no better state than Zaku was. He reeked of alcohol and was slightly slurring his words as he placed a hand upon her hip. He leaned in close to her and their foreheads were just touching, the smell of vodka escaping his lips and drifting upon her skin.

"Well he was right about the part where you look good enough to eat," he said as he planted a kiss on her lips. The kiss was forced and rough, it was different to the other times he had kissed her, and Sakura didn't know if she liked it. Most of his body weight was resting on her now, and she had to push him off so she could breathe again, much to his disappointment. "What's wrong pink? Afraid to show a bit of public affection?"

"It's not that Kiba," she quietened her voice so it didn't sound like she was trying to cause an argument. "You're drunk."

"Well of course I am, it's a party."

"Hmm." She said as she folded her arms. Now she was upset. She had been looking forward to this night all day, and every vision she had in her head about what it would be like was fading fast. It was nothing like she wanted it to be.  
>Kiba noticed that Sakura didn't have a drink in her hand, and from the way she was acting, he knew she hadn't even had one all night.<p>

"Oh I get it," he said as he leaned closer again. "You don't have any alcohol. Well come with me and I'll be sure to fix it." He grinned and grabbed her hand as he started to pull her towards the kitchen where Kiba had his grog. He was bumping into heaps of people on the way, causing Sakura to collide with many of the drunken teens.

"Kiba," she said, as she struggled to release his grip. "I don't want to drink."

"Ha! You can't come to a party and not drink princess. That's the whole point of a party, now have a drink sexy!"

"Kiba, let go, I'm not drinking."

He stopped and stared at her face with blurry eyes, trying to make out why she was being so reluctant. He needed to get her wasted if he was going to sleep with her; it was the only way she wasn't going to cock block him like she managed to do yesterday.

"Come on, just one," he said with a flirtatious smirk. He always used the grin to try and win her over, but tonight it wasn't going to work. The Inuzuka leaned in for a kiss again but she turned her head immediately. He was way too drunk and Sakura didn't even want to spend time with him when he was in that state. He was swaying, stumbling, and slurring his words, and wasn't being very gentle with her either.

"No." was all she could reply. "Look at how you're acting, come and talk to me once you sober up."

He watched in disbelief as she threw his hand off of her wrist and walked away. She looked good, maybe a little too good, and it angered him inside to watch her escape from him for the second time in two days. "Fine, your loss princess!" He yelled as she disappeared among the group of wasted students.

_She'll come crawling back once she realises what she's missing out on._

* * *

><p>Half an hour had passed and Sakura found herself seated on the lounge in Kiba's living room. Two boys were passed out at her feet and a couple was making out beside her. Her arms were folded angrily against her chest as she scanned the house again, trying to find one of her friends so they could take her home. But not one was to be seen.<p>

She wanted to cry, to just leave and walk home, but she felt bad. Maybe she should have just accepted one drink off Kiba, it's not like it was going to kill her. All he wanted her to do was enjoy herself and she shut him down and walked away. _Maybe I should've had one drink… it's not like it would do anything to me, right? Because now look at me; I'm sitting on a lounge by myself when I could be spending time with him. Way to go Sakura, just another thing you've managed to screw up!_

She stood up and fixed her dress before deciding she was to go and look for Kiba. She had to apologise for the way she acted, and then maybe they could kiss and spend the rest of the night together. She smiled at the thought and started walking around the house. She asked people that she knew whether they had seen him, and all of them replied with the same thing, "Sorry, haven't seen him since the start of the night."

At last she came across Kankurou who looked even more drunk than Kiba did. He was standing on a table shirtless, swinging around his T-shirt and slurring some unfamiliar song. "Uh, Kankurou?"

"Ohhhh Haruno!" he yelled before falling back off the table. Boy did he look messy. She watched as he lied on the ground attempting to look at her, although it looked like he was looking beside her. "What brings you to the palace of Kankurou's'?"

"Um, right…" she murmured as she looked down at him lying on his back with his arms and legs sprawled out like a star. "I just wanted to know if you've seen Kiba anywhere."

"Why yes! He is upstairs! Now run child, go to him!"

Sakura shook her head. She felt embarrassed just looking at him. She didn't even bother to say thank you, or even reply for that matter, because she knew he probably wouldn't even understand her anyway. Hell he didn't even know what he was saying himself. He was a pretty weird and eccentric drunk.

She walked up stairs and rehearsed an apology in her head. She was looking forward to fixing things with him so she could finally carry on the night like she had hoped. She peered in every room, each one ending up being empty or occupied by another couple. Where could he be?

After looking in every room she had only one left; Kiba's bedroom. She put on a brave smile and knocked softly at the door. It wasn't locked, so she slowly started to push it open. "Kiba? I just wanted to apologise for the way I acted before-"

Sakura's words were drained when she laid eyes on what was happening before her. Her heart had felt like it had halted to an immediate stop and tears began to well up in her eyes, causing them to sting. Her face drained of any colour it once had, and she stood at the door lifelessly, like a dead, motionless doll.

There against the back wall was a shirtless Kiba. A female straddled his middle, her legs wrapped around his bare waist. There they stood, kissing heavily, and completely oblivious to the shocked pinkette standing in the door frame. Sakura couldn't see the girls face, but could immediately recognise the head of blonde hair. _Ino?_

Her tears finally began to spill and stream down her cheeks. They just kept flowing and flowing as her hands reached up to her mouth to stop her sobs. She felt like she was empty inside and like she had gone completely numb, almost as if she had absolutely nothing left in her. "How could you!" she yelled, before quickly turning around and running downstairs and out of the house, not a single teenager noticing the tears that poured like rain down her cheeks.

* * *

><p>She ran.<p>

And ran.

And ran.

She kept running, even though she had no idea where she was running too. Her breath looked like clouds of smoke against the cool night air, and her feet were all cut up from the gravel road. She had taken off her heels so she could run and avoid twisting an ankle but managed to slice up the bottom of her feet instead. Her face was sticky from her salty tears and her eyes stung against the night air. Her mascara had left two long streams of black down her face which was now red from crying and sobbing. This was not how she visualised her night to be at all.

How could he? How could _she_! Her best friend, the girl she had grown up with, making out with the boy Sakura liked. It was so hard for her to process, it didn't seem real, it just felt like a bad dream.

As she reached an intersection, she stood in the middle of the road not knowing what the hell to do. Where could she go? There was no way she was going home. If she went back to her house she would only cop abuse and make her night even worse. She couldn't go to Temari's because she was still at the party along with Hinata and Naruto. She couldn't go to Ino's, because, well, she is the reason Sakura was in this state in the first place. There was only one more person she could think of at the time; her best friend, Shikamaru Nara.

She turned left and continued to run, ignoring the excruciating pain witch was shooting through her feet. It wasn't long before she found herself on Shikamaru's doorstep panting and sobbing helplessly in the cold. There were no lights on in the house, probably because it was eleven thirty and the family were asleep. She gathered up the strength to knock on the door softly, but after getting no answer, she knocked even harder. She heard a groan before the door slowly creaked open revealing the tired but surprised face of Shikamaru. "Sakura? What are you do-"

She quickly threw her arms around him before he could finish, crying into the curve between his neck and shoulder. "Oh Shikamaru, you were right…" she wept pathetically.

Her tears begun to accumulate a small, warm, patch of water on his shirt. Shikamaru didn't even have to ask her anything to realise what was going on. Kiba had played her, just like he had said. He returned the hug and sighed. "Come on Sakura, let's get you out of this cold."

He brought her inside and gave her a jacket to cover up her icy skin. She was only wearing a dress and her skin had felt like snow after running through the darkness in the cold night air. He gave her a tissue to wipe away the tracks of makeup running down her face and sat her down beside the fire.

"What did he do to you?" he asked softly, but with a hint of aggressiveness in his eye. Sakura could only sit there and stare at the fire, the image of Ino and Kiba replaying over and over again in her mind.

"He… he was kissing Ino…"

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Wait, what? He was kissing Ino?"

Sakura nodded and felt the tears well up again. "Kiba and I… we had an argument, and I walked away from him. He didn't come after me, and after about half an hour I decided to go looking for him to apologise…" she wiped away a tear with her fingers. "I ended up catching him and Ino in his bedroom."

"Were they... You know... having sex?" he asked reluctantly.

"No… they were just kissing. But who knows what would have happened after I left."

"Are you sure it was Ino?"

Sakura thought back and pictured it in her mind again. She swore it was Ino, she had blonde hair. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

Shikamaru sighed and ran his hands through his long brown hair. He wasn't good when it came to comforting people, and tried to avoid situations like this as much as possible. He hated drama and conflict and all that kind of stuff, it just wasn't his thing. But he knew that if he wanted keep Sakura as one of his best friends he would have to get used to this; she was a girl after all.

He hated seeing her upset. It brought back memories of when she was only little and used to run to his house after her mum and dad would have a fight. She would have only been ten years old, and she still managed to run to the other side of town to escape their screams. _This girl can only take so much until she starts doing something stupid. _"I hate to say I told you so…"

"I'm not in the mood for a lecture Shikamaru." She said as she continued to stare into the fire. She was grateful that he had taken her in disregarding the fact that it was almost midnight, but she was by no means in the mood for one of his 'I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so' lectures. Right now she just needed someone to talk to.

"Fine, but just promise me that you have learnt your lesson and you won't go back, doesn't matter what he tells you, you'll stay away from him."

She rolled over and picked up the blanket he had given her before closing her eyes. "I just can't believe he done it…"

"Sakura, say you'll promise."

There was no reply. By now her eyes were heavy from crying and tiredness, and all she wanted to do was sleep. Shikamaru sighed again, and shook his head. _Women, they'll never learn._

* * *

><p><strong>Review if you like.. No flames.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**This is a quick update, but it's short. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. :)**

**I do not own Naruto. Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**

* * *

><p>Kiba's eyes felt like they weighed a ton.<p>

It was like he was using all of his strength just to open them, only to get a blurred and foggy view, and a rough and fuzzy outline of everything that surrounded him. His head was pounding and felt as if it had been run over numerous times by a train. He expected to wake up feeling like this.

He shook his head at his empty bed. _Sakura should be here lying next to me._  
>"Fuck," he groaned as he clasped his head, glancing around his bedroom. A body was passed out at the end of his bed, bottles were covering the bedroom floor, the balcony outside his bedroom window had been tee-peed with toilet paper, and the room smelt like vomit. <em>Must have been some party<em> he thought as he groggily stood up and made his way pass the body at the foot of his bed.

The rest of the house didn't look any different from his room. Massive amounts of bottles and cans were left sitting on top of bench tops, chairs and the ground, even more people were lying unconscious covered in alcohol, chairs and tables were toppled over and toilet paper seemed to cover every object in sight. Which idiot was responsible for tee-peeing all the furniture? Kiba walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, scratching his head and trying to ignore the incredible thumping whacking away at his skull. Kiba noticed Kankurou passed out on the kitchen table, not that it was a surprise, and chucked an empty beer bottle at him. "Wake up." He said shortly as Kankurou stirred.

"Ughhhh," he moaned as he sat up and glanced around. He saw Kiba at the fridge and raised an eyebrow. "Good luck cleaning all this up." he said as he looked at the state of Kiba's house.

"Eh, the maid will do it." He replied as he reached for a beer.

"Drinking already?" Kankurou asked as he shook his head. It would have only been at least nine o'clock in the morning and couldn't believe Kiba would already be drinking after such a big night.

The Inuzuka reached into the fridge and grabbed a second beer, chucking it to Kankurou. "You look like you could use one."

"You look like you need it more than I do."

Kiba chuckled. "I'm used to feeling like this. You on the other hand, were more wasted than ever last night."

Kankurou thought long and hard about the events what unrolled, but it all seemed like a big blur. Then it registered; Kiba was alone. _Again._

"Oh, no Haruno? Again?" he said as he lifted a hand to his forehead, sarcastically looking around the room like a sailor.

Kiba grunted and slammed the fridge door shut. Flash backs of last night started to come flooding back. "Yeah, about that…"

"Dude, you were with another girl weren't you."

Kankurou had known Kiba too well. Kiba ran a hand through his messy brown hair and sighed, starting to regret every action he had made. "Not just any girl, one of her best friends."

"What!" Kankurou had all of a sudden become livelier. "You just completely ruined every chance you had trying to get with her, I hope you realise that."

"Not every chance…" he said as he thought hard. He had to figure out a way to win her back. Believe it or not, Kiba did feel bad about what he had done. After talking to Sakura constantly for a week he had grown to recognise Sakura was self-conscious and insecure, and after watching her witness him making out with one of her best friends, he realised she would have taken it hard. "She still is pretty keen on me. If I just do a bit of sweet talking she should take me back in no time."

"Kiba, you slept with one of her best friends!"

"I didn't sleep with her. We were going to, but after Sakura found out, I told her to go home. I guess I just couldn't do it."

"You've gone soft Inuzuka." Kankurou said as he shook his head. He lifted himself off of the table and stood woozily, trying to steady himself. "Looks like this girl is starting to rub off on you."

"Pfft, she hasn't rubbed anything…" he grunted as he slyly hinted at the lack of sexual actions the two had done. But that was why he was willing to try again; he wasn't going to let her get away so easily. After all, he had to make Sasuke jealous, just so he could get ahead in this competition of theirs.

Kankurou stumbled around the kitchen to look for his shirt that had happened to disappear for some reason. After he had found it hanging up on the ceiling fan, he put it on blearily. "Well I'm going home. I need a shower, I feel like shit. Later." Kankurou waved goodbye and Kiba nodded.

Almost immediately after Kankurou had left, Sasuke walked into the kitchen. He, like Kiba, was shirtless, and leant against the doorframe with his arms folded. "So," the raven haired teen started, "I take it you slept with someone last night, right Inuzuka?"

Kiba could feel himself become angry, but tried to supress his anger. "I might have," he said as he forced a smirk. "I bet you didn't though."

Sasuke laughed, sounding very self-satisfied with himself. "Oh I might have. Remember your little friend Jenna from my party the other weekend?"

Kiba nodded. For some reason he didn't think he was going to like what he was about to hear.

"Well she had a taste of me last night. And do you know what she said? That I was a hell of a lot better than _you_."

Kiba's blood felt like it had reached boiling point. Sasuke had did it again, slept with someone Kiba had been with or wanted to get with, and was rubbing it straight in his face. "So?" he said, trying to act like it didn't bother him. "How were my sloppy seconds?"

"It doesn't matter if she was your sloppy seconds Kiba; all that matters is that once again, I'm better than you." Sasuke smiled and walked over to the jealous teen, placing a hand on top of his shoulder. "Better luck next time, hey Inuzuka?"

With that, Sasuke took one of Kiba's beers from the fridge and left the house. Kiba just stood there, his fingernails slightly digging into the palm of his hands and clenching his teeth. _That's it. If he wants to play like that, I'll fucking play like that. I'm going to sleep with Sakura, and I'm NOT going back on my word._

* * *

><p>After thanking Shikamaru and leaving his house, Sakura didn't even bother going inside her home. She saw that her dads car was in the drive way and there was no way she was going inside; she didn't want to feel like shit any more than she did already.<p>

Instead she grabbed her soccer ball off the front porch and turned around, grabbing a pair of shorts off her clothes line on the way, and headed straight towards the soccer fields.

She often came here to release her stress and anger that her parents caused her to build up. It was nice, and she enjoyed the atmosphere of the field; it reminded her of what she loved to do.  
>Her eyes were red and bloodshot from all the crying she had did the night before. She was still wearing a shirt Shikamaru had lent her but it was too big, so she tied it up at the back, unintentionally showing a tiny bit of her stomach. When she arrived at the fields she dropped the ball and kicked it as far as she could. It soared through the air and landed on the other side before she walked back over to it and lined it up in front of the goal mouth. With all her might, she kicked at the ball again, making it collide with the crossbar with a bang. The posts shook. It wasn't used to that kind of force.<p>

"Jerk!" she sobbed, continuing to swipe away at the ball. The ball continued to hit the cross bar and roll back, before she kicked it again in anger. Tears streamed down her cheeks from the betrayal she was feeling before she wiped them away with her hands.

She pulled her phone out from the pocket of her shorts and realised she had heaps of missed calls. Two from Hinata, one from Temari, and five from Ino. She didn't bother texting a single one of them; she was too upset to type or even explain what she had saw. Her phone started buzzing again and she looked at the caller ID displayed on the screen_. Ino._

She thought of hanging up on her, to just reject her call and make her feel horrible for what she had done, but at the same time she wanted to tell Ino that she wanted nothing to do with her anymore. She decided to answer the call, pressing the accept button.

"_**Sakura,**_" Ino's voice said over the speaker. Sakura didn't even bother to let her speak.

"What do you want? I don't want to hear a single word from you no, how could you do that to me! You were my best friend!" her cries made it hard for Ino to understand what she was saying,

"_**Wait, Sakura**_-"

"No! I don't want to hear it! I know exactly what I saw Ino, there is no use trying to tell me different!"

"_**Sakura, will you just listen!**_" Ino's words sounded shaky and upset, it was obvious that she was just as upset as Sakura was. But the pinkette didn't even want to hear her speak anymore. She hung up and threw her phone at the ground, falling to her knees and holding her face in her hands. She sat and cried, not knowing what to do or say. Why was she so upset? Wasn't Kiba just meant to be a rebound? She knew she had some sort of feelings for Kiba, but she had no idea they were this strong.

"I thought I'd find you here," a familiar voice said from behind her. She turned and saw Kiba just standing there, his hands in his pockets and kicking at the earth beneath him.

"What do you want…" she said almost at a whisper. By now she was exhausted, she had got herself so worked up over her phone call with Ino and couldn't even find the strength to continue to face him.

"Listen, about last night…"

"I don't want to hear it." She said as she continued to look at the ground.

Kiba walked over to her and sat beside her, trying to think of something to say. She certainly wasn't making this easy for him. "Sakura, I'm sorry…"

"For what? Sleeping with my best friend or leading me on over the past week and a half?"

He felt bad, and he lowered his gaze. "Sakura, I didn't sleep with her."

"Oh really? Or is that just another lie?'

"Don't get snappy with me princess, you're the one who ditched me remember?" now he was starting to get aggravated; she was trying to turn this into a fight after he had come all this way to apologise. But why should she hear him out? He had hurt her, he had caused her pain, did that deserve to be heard out?

"Only because you were trying to force me to drink! I said no, and you physically dragged me towards the kitchen Kiba…" now she was crying even more, the tears continuing to fall freely from her emerald eyes.

He hadn't seen anyone this upset before. Usually when he dumped or ignored girls they would usually just act pissed off, never had he seen one cry over it before. Guilt kicked in and he tried to comfort her. "You're right. I shouldn't have done it, and I'm sorry. If you're willing to give me another chance, I promise I'll make it up to you,"

She lifted her head and glared at the Inuzuka. "And what makes you think I should give you another chance."

Kiba couldn't think of a valid reason. He was usually quick witted but could not think of a reason for her to take him back after what he had done. So without any thought, he leaned in and rested his hand on the back of her head, pushing her face gently towards his and planting a kiss fright upon her soft lips. For a split second she tried pulling away, but gave in to the Inuzuka's touch and tongue, and allowed herself to kiss back. And then she cried even more. Why did he have this hold on her? Why did she give in to him so easily?

"Because," he said softly as he pulled away, staring into her eyes. "You know this is what we both want."

She had given in to the Inuzuka's hold. She was too emotionally exhausted to fight any more, and when she thought about it, since she had been talking to Kiba she had rarely thought of Sasuke. And she guessed that something inside her wanted her to give in, wanted her to forgive him, so maybe it could go back to the way it had been… when they flirted, and when Sasuke never appeared in her thoughts.

"One more chance..." she said as he rubbed his hands through her hair, "But if you hurt me again... I'm giving up on you."

* * *

><p><strong>Very short, I know .<strong>

**Review if you like.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Naruto. Wish I did though.**

* * *

><p>Monday's were always the worst.<p>

Besides the fact that students were hung over and their brains had to re adjust to the whole 'write and follow orders' routine, Sakura also had to deal with the discomfort and awkwardness between her and her best friend. Wait; make that, _ex_ best friend.  
>She couldn't even look at her when it came to walking down the schools corridor or when she was in a class with her. Ino had tried to approach her and explain what happened, but Sakura wouldn't give her the time of day. She just walked past, pretending that the blonde wasn't even there, and continued on with whatever she was doing. No words could explain the resentment she was feeling towards the girl.<p>

On the plus side, Sakura had worked things out with Kiba. The conversation they had at the soccer field sorted most things out, and they were almost back to how it was before, but Sakura didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. They didn't talk about the situation for much that afternoon. Instead they just talked, for hours, about typical and regular things. Work, music, whether they were dreading going back to school the next day, even simple subjects like the weather were popping up in conversation. It was strange… it was like the problem that had just occurred didn't even exist anymore. There was nothing. Maybe it was because none of them wanted to talk about it, or didn't even want to think about it for that matter, so they just talked about anything that popped into their heads.

She also eventually told Hinata and Temari about what happened. None of them had seen Ino since the party and hadn't heard the story yet because Ino seemed to be avoiding everyone. Everyone that is, except for Sakura.

Hinata couldn't believe it, and didn't really know what to say to comfort Sakura. She didn't have the courage to tell Sakura that she shouldn't have anything to do with him, so instead she hugged her and whispered softly "I hope you're ok".  
>Temari on the other hand, acted completely different to what Sakura imagined. She expected an hour long rant about how Sakura should have listened to her and that she was right from the very beginning. She expected to have the blonde give her very little sympathy and also thought that she might have gone up and verbally abused Ino, but she didn't do any. Instead, she sat there and listened to Sakura cry, a little tear welling up in her own eyes, and hugged her. It was weird; this was a very rare side to Temari. But because Sakura was so upset over what had happened maybe she thought she should give her sympathy to avoid making the situation worse.<p>

She hadn't even told Shikamaru that she forgave him yet because she was too scared of what he might have said. He had tried to make her promise that she wouldn't go back and forgive Kiba, but she did. She thought that if she told him about what was happening he would hate her and disown her as a friend, and she didn't need that right now. Losing Ino was hard enough.

She didn't talk to Kiba much at school. He was spending a lot of time with Sasuke and Kankurou so she didn't bother to go and interrupt. Sometimes she would look up from her table and catch him looking at her, so she would smile, and he'd softly smile back. It made her feel a little bit better but she still had that turning feeling in her gut; the one that kept squirming in her stomach as if it was telling her she was going to get hurt again. She sighed and tried to ignore it but it wasn't leaving.

It wasn't until after school was finished that she received a text from him. She was on the school bus and Shikamaru had just got off at his stop, it was almost as if it was perfect timing.

_**Doing anything tonight?**_

She hesitated at the text but secretly smiled.

**Nothing yet, why's that?**

She stared out of the bus window as she waited for his reply. She swore that her mind was screaming at her from inside her head, telling her to refuse to talk to him and just to ignore everything he was writing. But her heart had other plans. As her head was screaming out the things Kiba was doing wrong, her heart was telling her to stay, to accept what he was saying with smiles and open arms. She just craved the affection and the compliments he gave her, whether they were sleazy or not, she just wanted the affection her parents had failed to give her during the seventeen years she had lived under their roof.

Her phone vibrated on her lap and she picked it up immediately.

_**Just thought that we could hang out? You know, maybe finish off what we started on Friday night? ;)**_

_Wow, certainly didn't take him long to start thinking about that again…_ she thought as she tried to think of a way to reply. She thought he would start to quiet down his sleazy ways after what happened, but now he seemed more keen than ever.

**You're seriously already thinking about that?**

She felt nervous after she sent the text. She hoped she wasn't coming off as angry; she just was a bit annoyed that after everything that had just happened, he was still thinking of one thing.

_**You're right, I shouldn't be saying it. Well how about I come over for a bit, and we can just talk. I promise I won't try anything. What do ya say?**_

That idea sounded good. She felt a whole lot more relaxed after reading the message and was now really excited to be spending time with him. She smiled and felt her heart start beating with excitement.

**Sounds great I'll see you tonight at mine then?**

He responded almost immediately.

_**Sure thing Haruno ;)**_

* * *

><p>The tall brown haired teen walked through the streets of Konoha with a smug look on his face. Getting her back was a lot easier than he expected.<p>

He wasn't, though, to thrilled with the idea of just 'talking' for the whole night. Talking was so boring and corny, he would much rather the more physical side of a relationship. Well, what they had wasn't exactly a relationship, but you know, whatever it was they had going on.

It was starting to get dark and surprisingly it wasn't cold. Winter at Konoha had been awfully bitter the past few weeks and to finally have a warm night felt great. The Inuzuka's mind raced with how he would clasp this night; should he actually just sit and talk? Or should he make a move? His moves worked the last time he was at her house so he didn't think for a second that they wouldn't work again. After all, she _was_ keeping him around wasn't she? If she didn't want to sleep with him then why the hell did she forgive him? Kiba knew how girls worked. He had been with enough to totally figure them out by now.

He neared the Haruno residence and stared up at Sakura's window. There were no cars out the front and he figured she was home by herself. _Looks like tonight is already playing on my side…_

He knocked at the door and waited for a response, he could hear the sound of footsteps thudding softly down the stairs and quickly corrected any faults he had on his clothes. Wait, he what? Since when did Kiba care about what he looked like in front of this girl? _Must be a one off thing, it's no big_ _deal_ he thought to himself.

The door opened to reveal a softly smiling Sakura. She wore a pair of white short shorts and a black singlet top which slightly didn't cover all of her slim belly. Her hair fell freely over her face as usual and she looked rather comfortable. It wasn't over dressy or even dressy at all for that matter, but it was still sexy in a way, like a comfortable casual sexy. He smiled and eyed her up and down. She must have realised he was studying her because she slightly shifted her body and tried to subtly hide herself behind the door.

"Hey," she said quietly with a soft smile.

Kiba returned the grin. "Hey,"

"Are you going to come in or are you going to stand in the dark all night?"

He chuckled at her comment and took a step forward as she opened the door allowing him in. She didn't have those nervous butterflies in her belly like she normally did and she felt happy with herself when she realised she was becoming more confident with him. Maybe her friends were all wrong and she was making the right decision. I mean, the two had been talking for a while now and it's not like he has pushed her into doing anything she didn't want to. When she didn't allow him to do stuff he obviously wanted to do he seemed as if he understood. Well, he _seemed _Ok with it anyway.

Hours passed but to them it only felt like ten minutes. The two had made themselves quite comfortable on Sakura's lounge in front of the TV having an almost endless conversation. They weren't touching or cuddling, both of them were just sitting against the lounge looking and smiling at each other. For some reason the two didn't feel like they needed to touch. This was especially weird for Kiba since touching was the skill he was so gifted at, the gift he had used two win almost every woman he had been with over. He was good at it to; his wandering hands and tricky mouth was enough to make even the stubbornest of girls give in.

But tonight, well, tonight was different. He had arrived at Sakura's with every intention of wooing her, every intention of seducing her, but after the first half an hour it was like his intentions were stripped away. But why? Was this girl actually beginning to have an effect on him? His thoughts drifted back to what Kankurou had said the morning after his party. _"You've gone soft Inuzuka, Looks like this girl is starting to rub off on you."_

He tried not to think about it. His one objective was to sleep with Sakura, and that was it. He wasn't meant to have feelings, he wasn't meant to start developing emotions for girls, he had made sure he had trained himself to ignore anything and everything that would let him become soft. All that stuff was by no means meant to be involved. But for some reason, tonight was different, and he was struggling to supress everything his morals went against.

What was different about Sakura was that they didn't have to say much to enjoy each other's company. He could sit there and look at her smile, and he knew it would say a hundred sentences. And there they sat, after hours of talking, just sitting and smiling at each other like middle school kids. The small half smile she was wearing was enough to give away every emotion she was feeling; slight nervousness, confusion, lust, and this urge to kiss him. It was almost as if he could read her like a book. Even talking was something Kiba hated, yet tonight it didn't bother him in the slightest. But after a silence which was by no means awkward Kiba decided that he wanted to silence her for only a few seconds, only a moment to let her know that even if their conversation was great, actions were greater.

"Hey Haruno," he said quietly as she quietened down from laughing. He had just told a joke and much to Sakura's surprise, she found it hilarious. That was different seeing as she wasn't a fan of immature pranks and jests. Kiba had turned out a lot different than she thought he was.

She shot a soft, delicate smile in his direction. "Yes?"

"Can I… Can I kiss you?"

She slightly tilted her head at his question, as if she was some kind of confused school girl. Since when did Kiba Inuzuka ask to kiss people? It was so subtle of him to ask something like that, it wasn't like his wild, sleazy, almost immoral and unrestrained personality at all!

"Why did you ask?" she replied after a little giggle.

"You know what, I don't even know." He laughed before moving closer. Slowly he crawled towards her, his strong arms assisting him as he hovered over her body. She felt her heart start to beat again and only hoped to god that he wouldn't be able to feel it if he rested himself upon her chest at some point. They maintained eye contact the whole time, not one of them daring to glance away. Sakura felt as if this kiss was going to be different from the other ones.

His face was so close. It was like he was teasing her like the other time they had been in her room together, where she had given in to his seductive gaze. He continued to hover over her, his famous cheeky smirk present, which actually looked a bit softer tonight, but either way, she couldn't get enough of it.

But as always, whenever Sakura seemed to be enjoying herself life would decide to turn on her. A familiar rattle followed by a thudding stumble appeared at the front door. Kiba's head, which was basically resting softly on Sakura's forehead, shot up at the sound of the stumbling movement. "What was that?" he asked as he looked at the front door in confusion.

Sakura felt her stomach drop and she lightly pushed on Kiba's shoulders in an attempt to get him off before her dad walked in. "Shit…"

"Sakura?"

"It's my dad…" Kiba noticed the panicked and nervous aura she was giving off but didn't really understand why. Fair enough if her father didn't approve of her daughter making out with a boy, but couldn't they just go up to her bedroom where he couldn't see?

"No matter what he says, don't say anything." She added nervously. "I wish we could continue this, but… but…"

"But what?" he asked as the confusion set in even more. "Sakura, calm down. You're acting as if something horrible is about to happen."

As soon as the words left his mouth the door finally swung open revealing a tall, very drunk man. He swayed in the doorway, trying to adjust his focus on the boy and girl sitting on his lounge uneasily. In one hand held a bottle of whisky and in the other was a very clenched and frustrated fist.

"Who the fuck are you?" Sakura's dad slurred as he almost completely stumbled into the door. Kiba frowned at the man, whose breath he could smell from his position on the lounge. He glanced over at Sakura to seek permission for him to answer but instead found the nervous pinkette sitting with her hands on her lap, her head down, and her eyes forced shut. She didn't notice him looking at her so Kiba had no choice but to answer the plastered wobbly man before him.

"I'm Kiba. I was just about to leave." He stood up and hoped that Sakura would stand up and say something. But unfortunately she just sat there breathing heavily and looking at her lap. "Sakura," he whispered soft enough so her father wouldn't hear. Not that he would be able to anyway, he was beyond wasted. "Are you going to be alright?"

She lifted her head revealing her bright eyes which were now clouded with tears. Why was she crying? What the hell was going on?

"Just go, I'll be fine." She quickly glanced over at her father who was getting ready to open the door for Kiba. She swiftly gave Kiba a quick kiss on the cheek and took his hand in hers. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He gave her a concerned look before giving her hand a small but firm squeeze. He was still disordered about what was happening; he knew her dad was drunk, but Kiba had seen Kankurou's dad drunk many times, and not once did he or Kankurou get such a frightened and petrified look in their eyes like Sakura had. Was there something he was missing? Something he didn't know about? Sakura seemed like such a strong girl, he had barely seen her cry at all through all the years he had known her. Except the whole Kiba and her best friend incident… but that was a decent excuse for her to cry over. Not something stupid like seeing her father drunk.

He walked towards the door and out onto the porch, the whole time keeping his eyes on the stumbling, messy man before him. Sakura's father slammed the door shut once Kiba was out, causing the whole frame of the door to shake. He took one last look at the house, put on his jacket, and started to walk home.

* * *

><p>Tuesday come around and Kiba could see no sign of a pretty pink haired girl anywhere. Usually he would spot her in the corridor or even at the tables where they sat at lunch time, but after realising she wasn't even present in the classes they had together he began to worry. Sakura wasn't a nerd but she wasn't dumb either. She really cared about her education and was good at it, so when she didn't turn up to school or reply to his texts Kiba couldn't help but wonder where she might be.<p>

After school finished, he turned down plans to hit up the local bar with Kankurou. Although they were still underage, they had gotten away with being old enough many times before with fake ID's Kankurou and Sasuke had made one day at Sasuke's. They would usually go there when there were no parties or when they were _really_ bored and pick up girls. Of course the girls were older than they were, but not by much, and Kankurou seemed to take a liking to the more 'experienced' women who were much more under the influence than he was.

He decided that instead of picking up the same old girls at the local bar he would go to the soccer field and see if Sakura was there. He had learnt by now that this was the place she would often go to cool down or hang out after school. He didn't know what it was she liked about that place; it was only a field of grass and she seemed to talk about it as if it were some kind of heaven or something. But really, what did she see in it? It was slightly isolated from all the shops and stores in the centre of Konoha and barley anyone used it. Except for the sporting teams on weekends, but besides that, she was the only person he knew that would spend so much time there.

As he reached the field he expected to see a head of pink hair slotting balls into the back of the net which covered the back of the goals, or running laps, but much to his surprise the field was empty. There wasn't a single person in sight. _That's really weird… first she's not at school, and now she's not at the one place I expected her to be?_ Thoughts started to swamp his head. There had to be a reason why she was getting so worked up last night._ Something must be going on between her and her dad, because she was acting fine until he arrived. _

He turned and left the field as empty as it was before he arrived and jogged towards Sakura's. The distance between Sakura's house and the soccer field wasn't that long, so he had reached her house within minutes.

There were no cars in the drive way and the house looked eerily empty. He wandered if she was even home? Kiba tried to think of all the possible places she could be; she wasn't at Hinata's, because she was hanging with Naruto this afternoon. Temari, Ino and Shikamaru were all at school, so she couldn't have been at their houses. Where the hell could she be?

After realising that he hadn't actually knocked yet, Kiba thought he should at least try. He knocked three times and waited. There was no answer. He knocked another three times and called out her name, only this time hearing some movement coming from inside the once silent house. His spirits slightly lifted as he realised that she was Ok and the thoughts of her being a missing person diminished, not that he was extremely worried or anything… but.. You know. The door slightly opened, and Kiba could see an emerald eye. But before he could see much more of her, the door quickly slammed shut in his face. _Huh? _

Before it could fully close Kiba stuck his shoe in the door to avoid it shutting and locking. "Sakura, what the hell?"

"Go away," she said, her voice sounding like it was full of tears.

"What? No way! Not until you tell me what's going on and why you haven replied to my texts!"

He tried pushing against the door to open it but she sat with her back against it on the other side, still slightly sobbing and panicking.

"Kiba, I can't tell you…" her words were still muffled with tears. Kiba still continued to push, hoping that no one would walk past and think he was trying to break an entry. What the hell was going on? Why wouldn't she let him inside?

He decided to calm down his voice, so maybe she would listen to him. He still couldn't seem to grasp what was happening. "Sakura," he said, softening his voice. "Please, let me in. I want to help you." He didn't exactly know what he was trying to help her with but figured he would say it anyway; he didn't exactly want to see her upset.

A silence filled the gap between them and the door finally begun to slowly open. He couldn't exactly make out what she looked like because all the lights in the house were off. But once the door had finally opened and the sunlight seeped in, Kiba's eyes widened with shock.

There, on Sakura's usually flawless, porcelain like face was a large amount of scratches, gashes and bloody wounds. Her eyebrow seemed to be slightly split and a small trail of blood spilt from her lower lip. Her eyes were red and bloodshot from crying and her face was drained of colour. Kiba couldn't believe what he was seeing. Never in his 17 years of life had he seen anything like this, especially on a woman. He was speechless.

"He… he fucking glassed you!" he said after a deafening moment of silence. Anger raged through his body and he clenched his nails into the palm of his hand. What human, what _monster _would be able to do this to their daughter! Kiba may have been a sleaze and did whatever he had to do to get woman to sleep with him, but never, ever, would he abuse a woman.

She tried to be strong, but ended up collapsing into the Inuzuka's arms. She sulked helplessly into his chest, her breathing becoming awfully fast and tears flooding down her face like waterfalls. Kiba didn't even hesitate; he immediately wrapped his arms around her, supporting her fragile head with his hand as she continued to cry into his chest. Her legs gave way and her weight was fully resting in the arms of Kiba now. Kiba slowly began to lower himself so he was on his knees, kneeling in the doorway of the Haruno residence.

"How long… how long has he been doing this to you?" he began to say, his mind still trying to wrap around the wounding images over the left side of her face.

She hesitated, then continued to cry. "Since I was nine…"

"Eight fucking years!"

"Kiba…" she said as she hoped he would calm down. "Please, you can't tell anyone about this. You can't say a word to anyone!"

"Who else knows? Sakura, you need to tell someone about what he's doing to you! He could end up hurting you even more, or even worse, killing you!" he voice was filled with frustration as she refused to let him tell somebody.

"No, you don't understand… I can't tell anyone…"

"Why not!"

"Because the police will try and take me away… they will want me to live with one of my friends and stay as far away from my father as possible…" her words were blurry as she lifter her head from his broad chest. Her foggy green eyes looked up at his, noticing the frustration and pure shock he was feeling. "I can't ruin my friend's lives by moving in with them. They have school and jobs, I'd just be a problem to them, a weight holding them back from whatever they want to do. I don't earn enough money at my job to rent my own apartment and I'd rather not make such a big deal out of all this. I don't have the time to talk to police and go to court Kiba…" he held her tighter as she spoke. "I have no family close by, and I can't live with my friends. I just can't."

He bent down and rested his forehead upon hers, continuing to look into her eyes. "Then move in with me."

* * *

><p><strong>R&amp;R :)<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I really, really apologise if this seems rushed. I had this chapter perfectly planned in my head, but then when I went to type it out, it….… well, turned into this. Ugh. Oh well, It's an update, right?**

**I do not own Naruto. Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. **

* * *

><p>Sakura was short for breath as she tried to fully register Kiba's words. He couldn't have just said what she thought he said. Her head was thumping, both with confusion and a type of panic, and when she went to speak nothing came out but silence. Was Kiba Inuzuka asking her to live with him? Surly her head was just playing tricks on her. He couldn't have said that, he just couldn't have.<p>

"Sakura," he said after a draining moment of silence. Even Kiba was still trying to grasp what he just said. He couldn't help it, it just came flooding out like word vomit, but inside he knew that it would somehow help her. He couldn't help but think that maybe he _was_ making a mistake. He didn't want her to keep copping this abuse but he didn't want Kankurou finding out that he must have, at some point along the way, developed feelings for Sakura. Fuck, this wasn't what he wanted to happen.

"I can't do that to you Kiba!"

"Bullshit," he stood up now, dragging the exhausted pinkette up with him. "Go and get your stuff. You don't have to live with me, but you can stay until you get yourself worked out."

Sakura started to feel a bit better but at the same time felt like he was pressured to ask it. Her mind was too clouded to make a clear decision, so she figured she would take him up on the offer. After all it was only until she worked something else out. Right?

"Kiba, are you sure? I don't want you to feel obliged to doing this, I'll work something out…"

"Just go and get your stuff ready. I'll head back home, and when you're ready to come over text me and I'll help you carry it all." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek which wasn't covered in scratches. "It's the least I could do."

She nodded, and squeezed his hands one last time before walking back inside. She could tell he didn't want to do this. Kiba wasn't a person who had restrictions, or _anything_ that weighed him down for that matter, and now he had to deal with living with a girl who had family issues, friend issues, and school and soccer commitments.

_I guess… we can only see how this goes. It's not going to be permanent, but what happens if he gets sick of me? What will happen if he realises I'm not the kind of person he thought I was? Than he won't want anything to do with me anymore… maybe this isn't such a good idea…_

She sighed with a frustrated sadness when she realised she was going to lose either way. She would either lose all self-esteem, respect or hope she had for herself if she stayed with her dad, or she could possibly lose the one boy she had such strong feelings towards if she moved in with him. She reached for a small suite case underneath her bed and pulled it out, before picking up clothes, soccer gear and possessions that were important to her and putting them in.

* * *

><p>Darkness started to cover Konoha and Sakura corrected her jacket as she walked hastily through the streets. She hoped that she wouldn't see anyone she knew, because the last thing she wanted right now was to be questioned about why she was walking so fast with a suitcase at nine O' clock at night.<p>

As usual, that familiar uncertain squirm turned and tightened in her stomach. Was she doing the right thing? If the right thing meant getting away from her father, than yes, she was doing the right thing, but if it meant moving in with Kiba and possibly getting her heart broken, than no, she was not doing the right thing. But as she stated before; this was possibly a lose/lose situation anyway.

Arriving at the doorstep of his mansion, Sakura looked up and stared in awe at where she would be living in the next few weeks_, or_ months. The house was huge; the family certainly had money, and it was clearly obvious. She knocked softly at the door four times, and after only a short wait, Kiba opened it and gave her a confused expression.

"Huh? I thought I was going to help you bring your stuff over?"

She forced a smile, even though it hurt her cheeks to do so. "Yeah, I thought that you're already doing enough for me as it is, and I'd save you the trouble of walking all the way back over to my house." Although she would never say it, the real reason she didn't ask him to help was because she was trying to avoid all the situations where he might become annoyed with her. If he realised that she was self-capable than maybe he would stick around and not see her as a helpless, annoying girl who he was stuck with for the time being.

"I already told you that this is the least I can do. I'm trying to help, so just ask." He reached towards her and grabbed her suitcase before opening the door and welcoming her in. She stepped inside and glanced around, taking in how wealthy and opulent the house was. It looked so much different when it wasn't filled with hundreds of drunken teenagers.

"Wow," was all she could say as she continued to stare. "I only just realised how nice your house was." The furniture was immaculate, the TV was huge, the kitchen was massive and had the finest kitchen devices on the market, the carpets and tiles all looked incredibly expensive and the clean and almost perfect state it was in certainly was different from the way everyone had left it after the party.

"Yeah, it isn't anything to great." He mumbled as he walked past her. Sure his house was nice, but it wasn't like he had a family to share it with. "Anyway, did you need a shower?"

She felt awkward and a tad insecure when he asked that; the thought of sharing these kind of things with him made her feel nervous. Kiba must have picked up on this, and even though he would have loved to join her, he knew this wasn't the time or situation to go thinking about stuff like that.

"Yeah… but, uh... Um, I…"

"Relax Sakura," he said as he gave her a reassuring grin. "It's not like I'm going to join you."

She felt a bit relieved and exhaled. She nodded and the Inuzuka walked her upstairs before stopping at the top of the stair case and looking towards the left. "You can either use the shower in the bathroom at the end of the hall, or you can use the one in the bathroom in my room,"

"Its fine, either one is good." She smiled warmly at the brunette. "I'm not picky,"

He returned the smile. "Alright, well I'll leave it up to you to choose. But first, where did you want me to put your bags? You can have my mum's room which is the one to the left, or you could, uh, share my bed with me."

He felt bad for offering, but it wasn't everyday a girl moved in with him. So why not offer? Having a certain pink haired girl to hold at night seemed like a pretty good idea to him. But of course, he didn't want to come across as his typical sleazy self. Much to his disgrace, his attitude towards this girl had changed. All of a sudden sleeping with her was not at the top of his priority list; making sure she was safe was.

"Won't your mum be mad if I'm in her bed?" she asked.

Kiba scoffed. "Pfft, she's never here so it's not like she'll notice."

She looked at him softly with a hint of confusion glistening in her eyes. "Where is she?"

He didn't answer to this. He averted his gaze towards the floor, then to his bedroom door, and then to the stair case railing to the side of him. He didn't want to talk about it, and it didn't matter anyway. "I'll put your stuff in her room, and then you're welcome to use the shower whenever you want."

He walked past her and into the bedroom to the left, leaving Sakura feeling a bit confused. She didn't know what the story with his mum was but she did figure out it must be a touchy subject with him. With that out of the way, she followed him into the room and thanked him, before grabbing her clothes and walking into the shower at the end of the hall.

After she had finished, she stood and stared into the mirror which the steam from the shower had caused to fog up. Sakura lifted her hand to rub a small circle on the mirror to clear away mist and looked at herself. She just stood there in silence, looking at a reflexion of a bruised and battered girl, wondering how she could let something like this happen to her. She thought of what she would be doing right now if Kiba hadn't asked her to stay with him. She would probably be falling victim to yet another punch or glass bottle to the face by her father. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about it, she was going to take this opportunity and make a new start for herself.

She dressed herself and opened the door, turning into the hallway carrying the clothes she was wearing before she showered. She got quite a surprise when she accidently bumped into Kiba who was carrying a blanket in his hands. They both dropped their items when they clashed and looked towards the floor, and then back up at each other.

"I just thought you might have wanted an extra blanket," he said, kind of awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. He didn't exactly know what to do; he had no idea how to cater to guests. Unless, of course, it was for a party, but all that really involved was supplying alcohol. The only person that ever really stayed at Kiba's was Kankurou and he pretty much treated the house as his own, so Kiba didn't have to do much.

"Oh, Thank you," she smiled. Kiba went to pick up the blanket and her clothes off of the ground, but before he bent down Sakura cupped his face with her hands and brought him up to her. She was so thankful for everything he was doing, she had no idea Kiba could be like this. Before she got to know him Kiba was just the guy at school who everyone swooned over, the energetic and sleazy guy who was always getting in trouble or smoking in the males restrooms. She had no idea that he actually was this helpful, generous guy who'd do something like this to help her.

She continued to look into his eyes and he stared back into hers, the gaze strong and passionate. She couldn't contain herself anymore and pulled his face into hers and kissed him, her way of thanking him, her lips moving and begging for entrance. He immediately accepted and kissed her back, standing over her and resting his hands on her fragile hips. His kissing started to get intense and she probably should have pulled away and stopped it there, but she couldn't. Their hold on each other got stronger and he stared to move forward causing her back to bump into the wall behind her with a thud. She was too busy concentrating on the kiss to notice the slight pain it had caused(she was still fragile from when her dad had beat her). They broke for a split second for air, both breathing heavily, but after looking into her eyes, he couldn't help but smash his lips straight back onto hers. After a few minutes of passionate kissing the grasp her arms had around his neck tightened and his hand started to wonder up to her breast. She should have known not to take it this far; she didn't want to sleep with him. Not tonight, anyway. Kiba was someone who would get carried away too easily and Sakura told herself that to make a move so abrupt was a bad idea. She pulled away, breathing heavily, and rested her hand upon the hand he had on her breast. She slowly pulled it away and shook her head, sadly. She could tell that the look in his eyes understood, and he kissed her on the forehead before she whispered "Goodnight, Kiba."

* * *

><p>Both teens rested in separate beds, in separate rooms. Sakura was positioned on her side and used her index finger to draw imaginary circles on the bed sheets beneath her. Her mind thought of Kiba, actually it thought about him a lot lately, not that it was a bad thing; she was just starting to fall, way too hard.<p>

What started off as a 'rebound' had now grown into something much, much more. Sasuke would have never done anything like this to help Sakura when they were dating. He knew about her parents but never said a word. Of course he didn't know about the abuse but she was glad she never told him, because he wouldn't have done anything about it anyway. For Kiba to do this meant so much to her, more than she could ever imagine. If only her friends could see this side of him then they would realise what it was that made Sakura stick around.

Kiba was positioned on his back with his hands behind his head. He didn't wear a shirt but wore a pair of black boxers. His head thumped with thoughts of his actions and the decisions he made today, about Sakura moving in with him, he was still kind of adjusting to the whole concept. What the hell had he done?

It was not meant to be like this. He only had one intention; to sleep with Sakura, and then act as if nothing had happened. Unless, of course, he was around Sasuke, then he wouldn't stop talking about it. But this wasn't meant to be something his feelings got involved with. Now that he was living with the girl how was Kankurou meant to come over? There was no way he could tell him about this, he would just remind him that '_he'd gone soft'_ and give him shit about it for months. He couldn't have that happen, he couldn't lose his reputation, but he couldn't just leave this girl with no home and no family. She had been through enough and leaving her alone would be the worst thing he could do right now. And even if he did leave her he wouldn't be able to make the feelings that he had developed for her disappear.

Sighing, Kiba rolled onto his side and attempted to get some sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning Sakura found herself lying in bed and staring at the ceiling not really knowing what to do. She knew she had to get ready for school but she felt awkward, and somewhat uncomfortable, walking around his almost empty home just didn't feel right.<p>

When she had finally gathered up the confidence to drag herself from bed and got ready for school, she noticed Kiba still hadn't woken up yet. It was no surprise though, Kiba usually rocked up late to school anyway. But just to make sure she decided she had better tell him that she was leaving in case he woke up to an empty house and got worried about her. She highly doubted that though, of course, but she liked the idea of having a boy worry about her. A boy besides Shikamaru that is.

She grabbed her school bag and threw it over her shoulder before hesitantly walking towards Kiba's bedroom door. It was shut and she didn't know if it was locked or not. Timidly, she tapped on the wooden surface and waited for a response. "Kiba?" she said softly, "I'm going to school now, just letting you know –" as she knocked again the door slightly pushed open. Well at least she knew it wasn't locked.

She shouldn't have walked in, or even thought about walking in, but curiosity got the better of her. _It's not like I'm going to snoop around his room or anything, I just simply have to tell him that I'm leaving…_ She pushed open the door a little bit more and flinched when it made an awful creaking noise. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Kiba sitting on the edge of his bed with his feet on the ground, scratching the back of head and staring at Sakura_, shirtless_. Wow, this was an even better view than the day he was running the cross country shirtless. But that didn't matter; he was awake and not sleeping like she thought he was!  
>His body was by far one of the best she had ever seen, besides having the perfect height Kiba was by no means lanky, but he wasn't buff either. That's not to say he didn't have muscles; He certainly did. He had the most perfect chiselled abs and he had back and arm muscles, it just wasn't to the point where it looked like he was pumped up on steroids and scary.<p>

He definitely noticed her obvious staring. The fact that her mouth was slightly parted with an approving gap probably gave it away. He grinned and stood up, letting her get an even better view of his body. She blushed and her eyes started to shift to different points in the room, left and then right, up then down, trying to ignore that fact that he was only wearing his boxers.

"Something wrong Haruno?" he said with a vivacious and flirty grin. He knew she was staring and couldn't help but to make her feel awkward. As long as she was living with him, he could have a bit of fun, right?

"Uh, well, um…" she started, the shade of her cheeks darkening. "I just wanted to tell you I was leaving now, but uh, I didn't realise you were… uh, not dressed yet,"

"You could always help me?" he said with a wink. "But that would mean you wouldn't get to keep eyeing off this," he used his right hand to refer to his abbs, still smirking.

Trying to keep her composure, but still blushing, Sakura straightened herself up. "I need to get to school. Unlike you, I care about my education." She shot him a playful smile to let him know she wasn't exactly being serious. She turned around and was about to walk out of the room before his voice stopped her.

"Uh, Sakura?" he asked in a more serious tone. "If anyone asks about your… um… scratches today, what do I tell them?" He hated mentioning it. She didn't like to talk about it and quite frankly, neither did he. He did, although, want to tell someone what was happening to her. It felt like it was a weight on his chest he wanted to get rid of, knowing that someone could help her would make him feel a whole lot better. But he knew she wasn't going to budge. She was quite persistent with keeping this whole ordeal a secret.

She paused and remained have her back facing him. "Tell them, it's a soccer injury."

He nodded unwillingly, and watched as she walked out of the room with glassy eyes.

* * *

><p>When she arrived at school she cringed when she realised she had PE first. Usually one to love sport, Sakura sighed, for today she wasn't in the mood. Well, not in the mood to share her first class with <em>Ino<em>.

A more than awkward atmosphere filled the female change rooms. What made it worse was that Ino and Sakura were the last to get ready. She tried not to look at her, even though she could feel her strong blue eyes burning at her from behind. It had been almost a week since they had talked and it was by far the longest period of time the two had ever not spoken to each other. Ino, the girl she had been best friends with since primary school, was now almost a stranger. Sakura hated it, but in a way she didn't want to go back to the way they had been before the incident either, no way would it ever be the same.

"Sakura," Ino said softly, breaking the silence. She tried to sound stern but her shaky voice muffled the attempt.

Not even bothering to wait around and answer, Sakura stormed out of the change room, leaving the blonde standing in the change room alone.

Arriving late as always, Kiba walked the near empty corridor. He entered through the gates at the front of the school and the gym was inconveniently at the back. There weren't many students hanging around their lockers at all, mostly because the bell had rang some time ago. But the halls weren't all empty. One student leant against his locker, waiting, until he at last spotted Kiba walking alone down the corridor.

"Inuzuka."

Shikamaru stepped out in front of him, causing Kiba to slightly stumble back. He was taller than Shikamaru, so he slightly looked down at the not so popular teen in front of him with an eyebrow raised. "Got a problem, Nara?"

Although he wasn't as tall as Kiba, Shikamaru was by no means intimidated. He continued to glare at the sleazy brunette with a serious expression. "What's your game?"

Kiba frowned even more. What was this guy's deal? Since when did losers approach Kiba Inuzuka?

"Game?" he asked, not registering that Shikamaru was indeed talking about Sakura.

"I know you just want to get her in bed. But I seriously didn't think a guy like you would invite her to live with him to do so."

The brunettes' brows furrowed even more. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about Nara, now back off before you make me do something stupid."

"Hear this," Shikamaru slammed his locker door shut. "You hurt her, and I'll hurt you. You're not all that you think you are, Inuzuka. This girl doesn't need any more heart breaks in her life."

Kiba was speechless, but furious at the same time. _Who the hell does he think he is! Fucking jerk, I won't hesitate to lay a punch straight to his face the next time he wants to get all up and confronting with me!_

He watched as Shikamaru disappeared down the hall. Threats from losers, from nobodies, didn't scare him. But his words did pull at something within Kiba. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists before continuing to walk to the sports hall in anger.

* * *

><p>The day had drained and completely exhausted Sakura. Emotionally, that is. Besides the fact almost every student was asking what happened to her face, her frustration had built up with her having to explain the same lie over and over, to the point she started to reply with "nothing" towards the end of the day. It wasn't their business, they didn't need to know, hell they didn't even need to know the lie. She just wanted them to ignore it. She didn't want to be looked at differently and she certainly didn't want anyone treating her differently either.<p>

She thought about waiting for Kiba, but again he hadn't said much to her at school so maybe she should just meet him back at his house. Sakura was a bit confused at this, seeing as he didn't want to keep her hands off of her at home, but she wasn't going to ask why he ignored her at school. Maybe he thought people would look at him differently if they found out he actually liked a girl instead of just sleeping with them? He also looked somewhat pissed off today which wasn't usually like him at all. Either way, it was no big deal.

As she was walking along the not so familiar foot paths that lead to Kiba's house she heard footsteps come thudding up behind her. She smiled, hoping it was Kiba, but when the small hand jaggedly grabbed her wrist and spun her around Kiba was not the person she was looking at. Instead she found Temari, tears pouring down her face and her cheeks red from crying. She was breathing heavily and had a look of guilt glassed over her eyes.

"Temari?" she asked, trying to release her arm from the blondes grip. "What are you doing – why are you crying?"

The blonde looked like she was choked for words as she tried to speak. "I can't take it anymore," she managed to spit out.

"Take what, what's going on?"

Tears started to fall from Temari's eyes. Sakura was so confused; she actually had never seen Temari cry before. She was usually so strong, so open minded, so stubborn. Upset and fragile had never ever been a trait of Temari's.

"I can't stand seeing you and Ino like this. You were best friends…" her voice trailed off again in guilt.

"Temari, what's going on?"

Her storm grey eyes focussed on jade ones. "It wasn't Ino that kissed Kiba, Sakura," her grip tightened with regret. "It was me."

* * *

><p><strong>:O<strong>

**Read and review ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry about the wait for the update! Iv'e been busy, I know that's what everyone says but it's true. It's not often I'm not doing anything these days :/**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

* * *

><p>No.<p>

No, No, No. What Temari was saying wasn't true, it had to be a lie.

It wasn't Temari; it was Ino, that's why Sakura had been ignoring her all this time. Ignoring her calls, ignoring her text messages, ignoring her attempts to talk to her, ignoring her attempts… to… explain the truth.

Oh. Shit.

She shook Temari's hand off with one angry, disgusted shrug. "Sakura, I'm so sorry…" the blonde sobbed, taking a step towards her. Sakura stepped back immediately and continued to glare at what used to be one of her best friends.

"So you're saying… that every day since it happened, you've watched me and Ino ignore each other, carry on our day to day lives like we didn't even _exist_ to each other, and you've just decided to tell me now?" the fuming pink haired teen clenched the strap of her school bag which was wrapped around her left shoulder. "Leave, right now Temari."

Temari wiped away the last of her tears and exhaled. "If I've lost you as a friend, please know that it took so much from me to tell you this."

"But it took you even longer to tell me."

"I'm sorry, Sakura…" Temari turned around slowly and started to walk away. Temari was fighting a losing battle, she knew how stubborn Sakura's temper could get and didn't even bother trying to reason with her. Sakura's jade green eyes watched in disbelief and pure anger as the blonde disappeared in the distance. She couldn't believe it.

Although it was hard to accept as true, Sakura's emotions of shock and anger started to be covered by ones of guilt. She thought about the night, about when she saw what happened, and it didn't even occur to her that Temari would do something like that. Maybe that's why she cried with Sakura when she told him about Kiba? She was expecting a lecture from Temari, but it was so obvious now. She wasn't crying because she felt bad for Sakura, she was crying from the immense guilt she had built up since the incident. But why? Temari always disapproved of Kiba. Right from the day Ino blurted out that Sakura liked him in front of the group of girls, Temari was against it. Could it possibly be because Temari has feelings for him too? But she can't! The two have barely even conversed!

And how the hell could Sakura mistaken Ino for Temari? That, was something she had to think about. She had to figure out what the hell come over her to make a stupid, simple mistake like that.

Sakura didn't really feel upset over what had just happened. She should have, but she didn't. She mostly just felt bad about ignoring Ino this whole time and not even hearing her out or listening to what she had to say. But it wasn't Sakura's fault… I mean, she was so worked up over what had happened, it wasn't her fault that she was so upset. But then again, she should have listened to Ino because after all, she was her _best_ friend.

"Pink?"

Sakura jumped and all trail of thought was lost at the sound of a familiar voice. Kiba stood in front of her with his eyebrow raised, looking at Sakura, then at the direction in which Temari was walking, then back at Sakura. "What just happened?"

Sakura stood for a while, still taking in what Temari just told her. She was looking at his chest, before slowly lifting her gaze to meet his dark brown eyes. "It… it was Temari?"

It took a while for him to register what Sakura had said, but soon enough he realised and furrowed his brows. Her eyes were looking glassy and he wasn't in the mood for comforting her after what happened between him and Shikamaru today. "I thought we already talked about this?" he said almost as if it was an effort.

"I thought… this whole time… it was Ino…"

"What?" Kiba said, surprised. "Ino? No way, well not again at least." he said as he shook his head. "This whole time, you thought it was Ino? I thought you knew it was Temari – you walked in on us?"

Sakura thought back to the discussion they had on the oval the day after the party. Looking back on it, neither of them had mentioned any names. She couldn't be mad at Kiba for not telling her either; how was he supposed to know she thought it was a completely different person?

"I need to see Ino," Sakura said as she slowly pushed her way past him. As she was walking away his hand gripped her wrist and gently spun her around. She looked at his hand on her, and then back up at him. His expression almost looked as if it was anxious as the hold on her wrist tightened. "Are you coming back?" he asked as he continued to solemnly look at her.

"Y-yes," she stuttered, wondering why he was so serious. "I don't know what time though, just leave the door unlocked."

Kiba nodded and let go of her wrist, she forced a soft smile and he continued to look on as she walked back down the foot path and towards Ino's.

* * *

><p>"About fucking time you invited us around again," Kankurou said as he grabbed a beer from Kiba's fridge. "I was starting to think that you must have died or something."<p>

"Ha, whatever." The Inuzuka replied. When he really thought about it, it actually had been quite a long time since he and his prankster buddy had hung out. There was no way Kiba would admit that the reason he didn't invite Kankurou over anymore was because of Sakura. It was obvious that Kankurou had high opinions of Kiba, and although Kankurou often acted more mature than the Inuzuka at times, he still looked up to him in a way. Kiba knew that if Kankurou found out about these feelings he developed towards Sakura, he would see him differently. Kiba would no longer be seen as that cool, sleazy, powerful popular guy Kankurou looked up to. He would be the guy that went soft, that let a woman get the better of him, that gave up his reputation just so he can waste his life away with a girl. Kiba didn't want that.

But one look at the raven haired teenager comfortably lounging around on Kiba's couch itched at the emotions within Kiba. Sure, Kiba still wanted to piss him off. He still wanted to sleep with Sakura, and rub it straight in Sasuke's face. But he didn't want to lose Sakura either. For once he had someone there for him that listened to him and would go out of her way just to make him happy.

"How's Haruno coming along?" Kankurou whispered, making sure Sasuke couldn't hear them from the living room. They leaned against the fridge in Kiba's kitchen, glancing every now and again at Sasuke so they knew he couldn't hear their conversation.

"Getting there." He replied, dropping his eye contact. A sudden wave of guilt washed over him. He kind of hoped that Kankurou might have forgotten about the whole 'sleeping with Sakura' game, but obviously not.

"Getting there? Dude, you usually have a girl in bed by the end of the night. It's been almost three weeks; I'm starting to think you've lost your touch."

That's _exactly_ what he didn't want to hear.

"It'll happen eventually," Kiba said as he snapped open the can of beer. _Think of something, a reason, so he doesn't think I like her!_ "I'm just having a bit of fun with this one."

Kankurou glared at him for a bit, then at Sasuke in the living room, and then back at Kiba. "Oh, I see what's going on here…"

Kiba's heart started to beat against his chest. _Kankurou… he hasn't figured me out has he?_ _He couldn't have! _He started to breathe faster and the fear of being found out was starting to press against his skull. He sweat dropped as the nerves started to swirl inside of his chest.

"…You're trying to get _real_ close to her, so maybe you could sleep with her more than once! I like you're style Inuzuka, if you sleep with Sakura a few times, then that is _more_ than likely to piss off Sasuke!"

A small, jagged, relieved breath of air escaped Kiba's lips. Kankurou hadn't figured him out, _yet._ Despite Kankurou sometimes being more mature than Kiba there were times where he was indeed quite stupid.

"…Yeah, exactly…" Kiba said as he forced a laugh, scratching the back of his head. "But if I want to do this, I'm going to have to get a bit of background information on her first." The two teens turned their gaze on the Uchiha, who was still comfortably seated on Kiba's lounge. He seemed totally unfazed by whatever it was they were doing in the kitchen, but that was just Sasuke. Nothing really interested him.

The two boys grabbed their beers and joined Sasuke in the living room. "So Uchiha," Kiba started, seating himself down in the black leather chair seated next to the lounge. "How's that little girlfriend of yours?"

Sasuke knew Kiba was referring to the blonde he had been tuning lately, and was not fazed by his interest. He just saw it as Kiba trying to get dirt on him so he could better the Uchiha, so Kiba could try and get a girl one step greater than Sasuke's. "Already slept with her." he replied with a smug smirk.

Kiba scoffed. "Well why are you still keeping her around? You were still hanging out with her two days ago if I'm correct."

"The answers so simple," Sasuke sat up and folded his arms, his arrogant smirk still resting smugly upon his face. "Unlike you Inuzuka, I'm getting regular sex. I don't have to go out searching for girls anymore, all I need is to send a text and bam, I'm getting laid."

"Kiba doesn't have trouble getting girls." Kankurou added.

"You're right; but he still has to waste time searching for decent ones. Me on the other hand, I don't have to go searching and I don't have the burden of having some girl clinging to me either." Kiba glared at Sasuke, his anger rising. "You see boys, I'm always going to be one step ahead of you."

"Whatever Uchiha," Kiba grunted, forcing a grin in an attempt to hide his anger. "But seeing as we're on the subject of girls, you never did tell us why you ended it with Sakura in the first place."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Sakura?"

"Yeah. Everyone knew about the break up, but come to think of it no one knows why it ended." Kiba folded his arms and smirked, almost as if he was mimicking Sasuke's actions before. "You didn't get _dumped_, did you?"

"Hmph, of course not. I was the one who broke it off with her, I thought that was obvious since she cried like a bitch every day for a month about it."

Kiba felt a sudden wave of anger wash over him as Sasuke spoke about her. He had no clue what she dealt with at home and it frustrated the hell out of Kiba to hear him disrespect her. "Well what happened?" Kankurou asked from the lounge chair across from Kiba.

"She was too easy. Always willing to do stuff for me and cling to me all the time. Sometimes a guy wants a chase, and with her it was just _give give give_ all the time. I guess it got boring."

_Easy? It's taken me three weeks and I haven't even had sex with the girl! How the hell is she easy? _Kiba leant back and took a swig of his beer. "That sounds like a pretty good deal to me, a girl that's willing to do anything for you? I don't see anything bad with that."

"You eventually get over it." Sasuke sighed as if it was an effort to even talk about her. "It got to the point where in the last few months I was only in it for the sex. All that cuddling and bullshit she wanted to do afterwards is what did it for me. I said bye-bye Sakura and hello to single life."

Kiba clenched the beer can in his hands, annoyed at the Uchiha's words. He tried to hide his anger by clenching his teeth and only subtly frowning at Sasuke. She was such a fragile girl, how could he do something like that to her! Especially after she did everything for him, everything in her will to try and please him and keep him happy, and that's how he repays her? By using her?

It wasn't until that moment Kiba realised what he was doing. He was no better than the arrogant guy before him who he considered to be his friend. Kiba hated the fact Sasuke used Sakura but he failed to realise that he was doing the exact same thing. He was using her, using her to get back at Sasuke. Using her for sex, just like Sasuke was. He was no better. The way he treated girls all these years… using them as objects just for pleasure… it was all about to change.

* * *

><p>"Oh, hello Sakura!" Ino's mum beamed from inside the Yamanaka residence. Her bright blue eyes which were so similar to Ino's beamed with excitement as she witnessed the familiar pink haired teen before her. She held a plate in one hand and a dishtowel in the other, wiping off the soapy suds from the dishwashing water. "What brings you here?"<p>

"I've came to talk to Ino," Sakura said as she fidgeted with her fingers behind her back. She didn't look at Mrs Yamanaka in the eye because she wasn't brave enough too. The mother most probably didn't know about Sakura and Ino's argument, but Sakura still felt guilty none the less.

"Sure sweetie, she's just in her room." The middle aged blonde lady stood aside to let Sakura through. She smiled sweetly and pointed in the direction of Ino's bedroom, although Sakura already knew where to go. She had been to Ino's many times before and almost knew the house like the back of her hand.

She could hear loud music coming from within Ino's room. She smiled and shook her head; Ino always had the worst taste in music. It was completely different from what Sakura listened to and it drove her mad. Ino's love for boy bands and girly love songs was enough to make Sakura want rip out her ear drums, but despite the twos differences, the two had one thing in common. A strong, caring friendship and Sakura wanted it back.

She knocked on the door and waited for a reply, but the music was too loud. She knocked again, this time a bit louder, and heard Ino call out over the top of the music. "Just a minute!" The music came to a stop and the door opened revealing a surprised Ino. The smile which was on her face drained, and she just stood there. An awkward silence filled the short distance between them and Ino's face hardened. "Oh, it's you."

Sakura couldn't even look her in the eye. Her fingers continued to fumble with each other behind her back as her gaze directed towards the ground. Ino folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, a tad unimpressed with Sakura's sudden appearance. "Well? Why are you here?"

Sakura went to speak but nothing came out. She was a very stubborn person, so apologies weren't really her thing. Except when it came to Sasuke, she would always apologise to him, even when she had did nothing wrong.

Taking a deep breath and attempting to try again, Sakura opened her mouth to speak. "Ino… I'm not good at stuff like this, but you know me well enough to know that I'm so, so sorry."

The blonde shook her head. "I know you well enough? I _thought _I knew you well enough," she folded her arms against her chest, doing a fantastic job at holding back tears. "How could you Sakura? You didn't even let me explain what happened; do you have any idea how confused I was? You disappear from the party, I try to call you, and have you abuse me? I had to hear what apparently 'went down' by school rumours!"

Sakura let a single tear fall from her rich emerald eyes. "I know, I was so stupid…"

"I was your best friend, I would never, ever, do something like that to you! What would even give you the idea that I would?"

Sakura put a hand to her cheek and wiped away the stray tears. Her face was burning up and she didn't even know how to explain what she was thinking. Everything she had said was said on impulse, out of anger because she got too carried away in the moment. "I don't know Ino, I guess… I guess it was because I heard you say that comment earlier on in the night, the one about you getting with Kiba if I didn't…"

"Sakura!" Ino was starting to get frustrated. "I told you I was kidding! Why on earth would I do that!"

"Because you had slept with him before… I think I was just so worried that I would lose him before I even had him, and it would be to someone like you."

"Sakura, I'm your best friend..." the blonde softened her voice and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura looked at her now, both of the girls freely letting their tears of guilt, regret and disbelief flow down their cheeks. "I was trying to do you a favour, I want you to be happy and move on from that selfish prick Sasuke. It would be kind of stupid if I tried to set you up with someone, and then hooked up with them wouldn't it?"

Sakura forced a soft laugh. "Well, you aren't exactly smart Ino… You tend to do a lot of stupid things."

"Hey!" Ino pushed Sakura gently in the shoulder out of jest. They were both smiling now, and the atmosphere had become a lot more easy and relaxed. "By the way, how the hell did you mistake me for Temari? I'm way hotter than her."

"I don't even know, I just saw the blonde hair and immediately thought it was you because of what you said to me earlier that night." Sakura laughed and followed Ino into her room. They both sat down on the beds bright pink bed spreads, continuing to talk about the night of the party. Ino's room kind of gave Sakura a headache; the colours were so bright and it was so full on and feminine.

"So what's going on with you and Temari, now that she told you what happened…" Ino said on a more serious note.

Sakura's gaze once again shifted to the floor, and she thought of her friend. Temari was kind of like the mother Sakura never had. She looked out for her, ordered her around and helped her make decisions she wasn't too sure on. For Temari to do something like this was almost unbelievable in Sakura's eyes, it just didn't feel like it was true.

"Well, I don't think I should drag it out like I did with you. She has already apologised, and Kiba and I are good now. So I think I should just act as if it never happened, you know, to avoid even _more _conflict."

"Sounds good to me girl," the blonde said as she shot Sakura a smile.

The two talked for hours, catching up on what they had missed out about each other in the week they hadn't been talking. When Sakura realised how late it was she said goodbye to Ino and made her way home, walking along the old cracked foot path that lead towards Kiba's. This time she actually walked with a smile on her face though. Things were sorted with Ino, she was going to mend things with Temari, her and Kiba seemed to be going almost perfectly and she was finally away from her father. Things for Sakura Haruno were starting to look up.

When she arrived at Kiba's the door was unlocked just like she had asked. She walked in to find Kiba asleep on the lounge, quite a large amount of beer and alcohol cans lying on the floor and tables around him. A familiar squirm started to knot in her stomach as memories of her father came flooding back to her. She knew Kiba liked to have a beer every now and again, but she really hoped he wasn't going to turn into this alcohol hungry monster like her father had. She picked up the empty cans off of the floor and placed them in the bin, trying not to make much noise to avoid waking him. It was only nine pm and she wandered why he was asleep so early. The house was empty but the TV was still on, so she picked up the remote and switched it off. Kiba turned on the lounge, stirring at the sudden silence the TV was now emitting. Sakura went to the closest linen cupboard and grabbed a blanket before slowly putting it over Kiba. She tried her hardest not to disturb him, making sure her movements were silent and soft. Once the handsome Inuzuka was tucked in, she went to turn silently and head up to the bedroom she was sleeping in upstairs. Her skin jumped slightly as his hand reached out and gently took hold of her wrist. She turned to see Kiba half awake, staring up at her, with a soft almost mellow look on his face. "Don't sleep up there. Stay here with me."

Before she had time to answer, his hands were already gently pulling her towards him. He scooted back further so his backside was pressed against the back of the lounge and pulled her into his embrace. His arms snaked around her delicate frame, holding her firmly around her waist. She could feel his chest and stomach muscles against her back, and slightly shuddered at the touch. To be held so close to him felt so good, for once she actually felt like someone cared about her. She made sure she held on tightly to his strong arms which were wrapped around her middle.

He softly planted a gentle kiss on the back of her neck, and tightened the hold he had on her. "Let's just stay here like this. We won't do anything, we don't have to even speak." His voice was soft and his breath hot against the back of her neck.

"Alright," she whispered back, smiling, but still confused at his actions. It seemed as if Kiba Inuzuka was a man of a thousand moods, new ones that she was discovering every day. Right now she loved this. It was everything she wanted to do with Sasuke, but every time she tried, he would think of some excuse involving him to leave the room. She was definitely right; things were indeed looking up for Sakura Haruno.

Well, for _now_ at least.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope that answered a few of your questions! :) Review if you like.<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Oh my god! I'm sooooo sorry I took so long to update! But before I get abused for ignoring this story for so long, please keep in mind that my computer broke and it felt as if it took 472852896757 years to get fixed. I was getting so sick of waiting that I had actually thought of getting a new computer all together, but I would've had to save up a bit more money, and I would have lost this story. BUT, it finally got fixed, and here I am! But again, I'm sooo sorry. Please forgive me!  
>Anyway, enough of computer problems, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's not amazing, but it's something, right?<strong>

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Never have and never will. Unfortunately.**

* * *

><p>A week passed, and then another.<p>

The two definitely had there ups and downs. Sometimes Sakura didn't like that Kiba was so messy, so Kiba would get angry about her being to bossy. The two often picked at each other's possessiveness and their habits of being acquisitive but what started off as an argument always ended in a heated kissing session, and the arguments never lasted long anyway.

Kiba was becoming a different man. The sleazy, over confident, cocky arrogant teenager that he used to be had now faded away into a caring, protective boyfriend figure. He noticed this change and it sometimes scared him when he thought about it. What would happen to his reputation when Kankurou and Sasuke find out? What would happen if cops ordered Sakura to move back home? No way did he want her living with that monster. This girl was different; she did so many good things for people and never got thanked for it, she never did anything bad yet always still seemed to get punished. It wasn't fair.

Sakura had also started to grow accustomed to the handsome Inuzuka. She liked him before, but she liked the person he had become even more. There were times where he could be completely stubborn and short tempered but it was as if Kiba was like some kind of puppy dog, he'd often come crawling back cringing for forgiveness after a short amount of time. With _a lot_ of kisses.

There were times after they had arguments, when their kissing got a little too heated. Kiba, whose anger usually always got the better of him, couldn't help himself when it came to 'making up'. Some nights making up led to the bedroom and the two teenagers hands would intentionally slip below each other's belts. Kiba always wanted to go that bit further with Sakura but had developed too much respect for her to push the situation. He knew she didn't feel ready anyway, the nights where they would just sit down and talk about everything and anything had taught Kiba a lot about Sakura, so much that he would have never known. She wasn't a virgin and Kiba knew this, but what he didn't know was the fact Sasuke had somewhat emotionally scarred her. Whenever she thought about her previous relationship with Sasuke, she felt as if sex was the thing that ruined it. He didn't really take any interest in her unless it was about that topic. But Sakura was too in love with Sasuke to realise how bad he was really treating her, and often let the very little amount of good traits overwhelm the large amount of bad traits and qualities Sasuke possessed.

But she tried not to think about him at all these days. Right now she was happy; she was finally out of her abusive household, the boy she liked was finally taking more than an interest in her, she had a steady job and was earning a decent amount of money to support herself, and also had the support of her best friends. She had even mended things with Temari because she didn't feel the need to drag it out any further. She and Kiba were happy, and the past was the past.

Sakura finished pouring the smooth, hot substance which was coffee into the take- away cup and handed it to the customer. The customer smiled weakly and thanked her before taking his coffee and walking out of the shop, the little bell above the door rattling as he exited. He disappeared into the night and Sakura smiled to herself as she inhaled a long, deep breath.

"Someone seems cheery tonight?" Tenten said as she felt Neji's arms wrap around her waist.

"I don't know," Sakura smiled as she leant against the counter. "Everything just seems to be going good for me lately."

"I'm happy for you Sakura, looks like things are finally starting to look up."

Sakura smiled at Tenten and Neji, fully agreeing to Tenten's words. Sakura couldn't even remember the last time she felt like this but one thing was for sure; she wanted to keep it this way.

After work, Sakura headed over to Shikamaru's. He had texted her earlier telling her that he had collected more of her stuff from her house for her. Sakura hadn't built up the nerve to go back there and collect the rest of her stuff so she asked Shikamaru to. As her best friend, Shikamaru agreed to help her out without any hesitations at all.

"Thank you so much for doing this Shika," Sakura said as she hugged her best friend. He noticed she smelt strongly of coffee and he figured she had just knocked off work. He returned the hug before resting his hands on her shoulders and looking sternly into her eyes. The look of concern was still present when it came to knowing about her and Kiba, but he knew he couldn't really say or do anything to stop it. He gripped her shoulders firmly.

"Just remember, if he even tries to touch or hurt you in anyway without your permission, you get out of there." He took his hands off her delicate shoulders. "There's always a spare bed here. You know that."

Sakura smiled softly and rolled her eyes. She was almost a little too used to Shikamaru's big brother role. "Relax, I know you don't believe me but he's a changed guy now. If only you saw the side I see, you wouldn't have to be so worried about me."

"I've known him long enough to know all of Kiba's 'sides' Sakura."

"That's a lie."

"What makes you think I'm lying? I've went to school with the guy for years. I'm pretty much in all of his classes too, hence making me know him just as well as you do."

"Oh, I gather you've kissed him too then?"

"Well no, but-

"I win." Sakura stuck out her tongue and heaved the box of stuff into her arms before walking towards the door. "You've got nothing to worry about. I'm safe and happy living with him, but if it makes you feel any better since you're so bloody paranoid, if anything happens you'll be the first to know. Better?"

Shikamaru opened the door to let Sakura out. "You better."

After saying their goodbyes Sakura continued to walk by herself down the dark and motionless streets of Konoha. It was always quiet at this time of night. She smiled to herself as she really thought about how good everything was going. She even thought about pinching herself to make sure it wasn't all a dream, but then reconsidered, because even if it was all a dream, the last thing she wanted to do was wake up.

She arrived at the Inuzuka mansion and much to her surprise the lights were still on. Usually Kiba would be in bed by the time she got home, he knew she was working tonight so why was he still up? She looked at the yellow glow emitting from several of the rooms and pushed open the door. Kiba was lying on the lounge looking tensed and irritated. As he saw Sakura enter the house he jumped up with an annoyed look settled upon his face. "Where have you been?"

Sakura's eyes widened with shock. Why did he sound so angry? She looked at the floor beneath the lounge and saw a six empty beer cans and alcohol bottles tipped over on the floor. A familiar nervous squirm wretched in her gut as memories of her father came flooding back. _No, not again, not this feeling, not this situation…_

"It's only 11 o clock…"

"You were meant to be home an hour ago." Kiba said, his tone still annoyed and aggravated.

Sakura dropped the box of stuff onto the floor and nervously folded her arms. "I had to pick up some stuff from Shikamaru's,"

"Nara?" Kiba snorted. "What, you have something going on with him do you? Is that why he got all up in my face the other day at school?"

Sakura frowned in disbelief. "Kiba, what are you talking about?"

"The other day at school. The loser got all up in my face about 'hurting you' and all that bullshit." He shifted uncomfortably from one side to the other. "You know what I'm talking about. You go to his house all the time, catch the bus with each other, he always gets all over protective of you and now you're going to his house after work? I bet you're fucking him. So you put out for him do you Sakura? But not me?" Sakura felt tears welling up in her tired emerald eyes. She could smell the familiar scent of alcohol on his breath as he spoke. "I'm the one who took you in and gave you a place to live, and yet you put out for Nara!"

"Kiba, listen to yourself! If anyone's being all over protective it's you! Shikamaru is like a brother, there's nothing going on between us!"

"I'm over protective? I'm just looking out for you!" Kiba stormed past Sakura to shut the door behind her so the neighbours couldn't hear their yelling and screaming. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? I saw your dad down the street today. And you know what he did?"

Sakura's tears were flowing freely from her eyes now. She still didn't know why he was so worked up over such a stupid reason. Everything had been going so good and now all of a sudden it was like this explosion of anger had erupted and it was scaring her. She had never seen him like this before. "He walked straight up to me. In front of fucking everyone and grabbed my shirt, you know what he said Sakura? He said if he ever catches you and me together he would kill you. Just yelled it out in front of everyone. Now you know why I'm acting like this Sakura? Because I had no fucking idea where you were, you could have been lying dead in a gutter for all I know because he knows you live here now!"

"Well I'm not dead am I!" now Sakura was becoming angry. "You're drunk and over reacting about this whole situation!"

"Over reacting? Only because I fucking care about you Sakura!"

"If you cared about me Kiba, why would you accuse me of sleeping with Shikamaru? I care about you, too much to go and do something like that!"

Kiba was standing over her now, angered by what was going on. Maybe he was over reacting, but he would never admit it. He was angry and drunk; there was no stopping him from saying or doing something stupid now. "Well why didn't you call me and tell me you were going to be late? Because you're secretly screwing him behind my back, that's fucking why."

"Listen to you! Why are you saying all these stupid things! How on earth did you even think up something like that! You know me well enough to know I would never do anything like that to you Kiba, never!"

"Whatever," He said as he turned away. He took another swig from the can of beer in his hand and sat back down on the lounge.

Sakura shook her head, now more angry than upset. How dare he accuse her of something like that? Shikamaru was her best friend, nothing more, and Sakura didn't deserve to be yelled at for such a stupid reason. She knew her father would never 'kill' her, he just would have been drunk and saying stupid things like he always did. She liked that Kiba was so worried, but what was all that stuff about her putting out for Shikamaru and not him? What did that mean?

She wiped away tears from her cheeks and folded her arms, this time more confidently. She was still nervous, but was beginning to be overcome by questions and anger to stop herself.

"What did you mean by I don't 'put out' for you?"

Kiba continued to stare at the TV and didn't even bother looking at her. "It's pretty self-explanatory."

"But I want to hear it from you."

Kiba rolled his eyes and sat up, walking over to Sakura. "How long have you been living here now, about a month?"

Sakura nodded.

"And we've got to, let's say, second and third base?"

She swallowed and narrowed her eyes to the side, somewhat embarrassed and feeling slightly vulnerable when he spoke of it. It felt so right at the time, but now when he mentioned it, she was starting to feel as if she made a big mistake.

"I'm sick of running back between second and third base. I want a home run."

The tears had returned and Sakura closed her eyes in an attempt to block everything around her out. Shikamaru was right. Sakura hadn't seen all the sides to this guy.

"…yet you can go and fuck Nara when you please." He mumbled as he turned away from her.

That was the breaking point for Sakura. Even if he was drunk, it was no excuse for him to be speaking to her like this. "For the last time, I have never slept with Shikamaru!" she followed him as he walked into the kitchen to grab another drink. "Oh, another one Kiba? Is that what's going to fix this? Another drink?"

"Fuck off Sakura."

"Don't tell me to fuck off, Kiba, you're the one that started this remember?"

"Well would you like one then? Come on Sakura, get a drink into ya. Maybe you'll loosen up a little, and not be such a bossy introverted bitch."

Sakura's heart was starting to ache. His words were so hurtful; she just wanted to break down.

"Wow, Kiba. This is a new low… And here I was convincing myself you changed. Boy, did I get that wrong."

"Yeah, I guess you did."

Sakura was just going to leave it at that, but he had hurt her too much to just ignore and let everything slide. He had shot comments at her about drinking which he knew she was against, about her timid and withdrawn nature her father had caused her to develop, and her best friend. She could only take so much.

"Yeah, I guess I did. Now I understand why your mother never wants to come home. As if she would want to return to a fucking screw up like yourself."

Kiba stopped in his tracks. His fists clenched tightly, his head dropped, his breathing became heavy. And before he knew it, something inside him snapped. "Shut the fuck up, you know nothing!"

Without even thinking, Kiba turned around and pushed Sakura as hard as she could into the table behind her. His mind was white with rage, and he wasn't even to sure what he had done. To be honest, he couldn't even remember what happened. It was such a quick flash of indignation to recall what he had just committed.

Sakura felt a sharp pain tear through the back of her hip. A warm, thick fluid started to seep through her work shirt as she clasped the wound with her hand. The graze from where her hip had been forced against the corner of the table was so bad it had caused her to bleed. She felt like she had stopped breathing and everything around her had stopped in a passage of frozen time. She looked up at Kiba, whose mouth was slightly open in disbelief. His face was drained of colour. His hands were slightly raised and positioned in front of him, shaking with shock. His eyes didn't even blink. His chest was fiercely rising up and down in regret.

What had he just done.

Snapping out of his dazed shock, he ran over to Sakura and pulled her up. "Fuck, Sakura, I'm so sorry…."

He pulled her up but before he could hug her, she pushed him away. Tears streamed down both of the exhausted teenagers face. "No."

Kiba gave her a remorseful look and gripped her hand, but she pulled it away as she took a few steps back toward the kitchen doorway. "No. Don't you ever, ever, touch me again."

Tears were spilling from Kiba's eyes now. He couldn't believe what he had just done and his whole body was shaking with shock. "Sakura, I'm so sorry…" he sobbed as he tried to follow her.

She continued to stagger back until she reached the stair case, and wiped away the sticky, salty tears from her face. "I've dealt with being treated like that for seventeen years. I will not let you treat me the same way my father did Kiba." Her voice was cold. He had never heard her speak so solemn in all the years he had known her. She turned quickly and almost sprinted up the stairs before running into her room and slamming the door shut behind her.

Kiba stood alone in the opening of the house. His body still shook from disgust as he stared into the empty spot where Sakura's fragile body once stood. "Fuck… what the hell did I just do…." he whispered to himself, as tears fell from his face and onto the cold, heartless floor beneath him.

* * *

><p>They hadn't spoken for a solid three hours. Kiba rested remorsefully in his bed, glaring at the slowly turning numbers of the alarm clock. He was restless and couldn't sleep because of what he had done to Sakura earlier. He felt bad, and if he had the chance to go back in time he would have told himself not to do such a horrible thing. Actually, he wouldn't have even brought up the whole Shikamaru conversation. He was scared; scared of losing Sakura, scared that he would hurt her again if she did decide to stay, and scared of being alone. Never had he felt so guilty in all is life and he just wished he could go back and undo every action he made. She made him so happy, and although it was difficult for him to show it, he loved being around her. He felt like a better person when she was around, like he was doing something good. And now he had become the very thing he hated.<p>

Abusive.

The exact replica of her father. "Why!" he yelled as he punched the mattress beneath him with an angry force. "How could you fucking hurt her, how! You fucking idiot Kiba, the one person who made you happy!" More tears slowly escaped his deep brown eyes as he clenched his teeth together. He had fucked up, and hated every moment of knowing it.

He tried knocking on Sakura's door, trying to convince her to come out and talk to him. He had repeated the words sorry more times than he could count. He meant it though; never in his whole entire life had he regretted something so much.

But Sakura wouldn't even answer him. She locked the door and cried to herself for a solid three hours, not because of the pain that was emitting from her side, but from the pain which her heart was experiencing. She had been so happy and now this. How could things change so abruptly? How could things go from good to bad so suddenly? Maybe she should have called Kiba. He was only trying to look out for her after all. And when she really thought about it, if Kiba had a girl who was his best friend and they hung out constantly, Sakura would be jealous too. Having a best friend of the opposite sex would defiantly worry him and he had every right to be paranoid. Maybe not as paranoid as he was, because he did over react, but Sakura would have been the same if she was in his situation.

Now Sakura was starting to feel guilty. The look in his eyes when he realised he had pushed her was sincere; she had known him long enough to recognise when he was sorry and when he wasn't. He genuinely felt bad and Sakura should have been the mature one and talked about it instead of walking away. Heck, she shouldn't have even yelled back at all. If she didn't get all fired up none of It would have happened. He was drunk, he didn't have full control over what he was saying, so she should have realised that. But no, she had to 'get even' with him and go say something stupid about the absence of his mother. Why did she say something so stupid.

The bed felt so empty. It was the first night in weeks where she was actually sleeping alone. Usually Kiba would wind up in her bed, or she would end up in his, and the two would spend the night with each other. She could even smell him on her sheets still.

She buried her face into her pillow which was now damp from tears and lifted her knees to her chest. "Every…Thing… was so… good…" she sobbed quietly, her tears overwhelming her voice. Her side ached and she cried even more. She just wanted him, wanted him to hold her, and wanted him to be lying next to her so she knew she wasn't alone. She hated being alone now days. She had grown so attached to him that she could barely face going to the soccer field alone anymore.

She sat up in her bed and stared at the bedroom door. She couldn't take it anymore; she needed to be with him. Fighting or not fighting, she needed him.

The door to Kiba's room pushed open slightly, a quiet creaking noise escaping the hinges. Kiba lifted his head abruptly and sat up with his back leaning against the head of his bed. There at his doorway was the dark outlining of Sakura, her fingers fondling nervously at the bottom of her night dress. The two stared at each other in silence for a solid minute before Sakura slowly took a few more hesitant steps into the room.

She slowly slid into his bed, where Kiba found himself already gently holding her face in his hands. The room was dark but the moonlight seeping through Kiba's bedroom window was enough light for them to see each other's tear stained faces. He pulled her face into a slow but strong kiss, before breaking away for air. "Sakura," he whispered, their foreheads gently touching. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what come over me, but I will never, ever, touch you like that again."

She continued to stare into his eyes, crying when she realised he was also tearing up. "Shh," she said as she placed a finger over his lips. She kissed him once more, allowing her hands to gently cup the back of his neck as she melted into his hold. She pulled away and stared into his eyes, giving a tiny, subtle nod.

Nothing had to be said. They both knew what the nod meant and both of the teens hearts started to pat firmly against their chests. "Sakura, I didn't mean anything I said about putting out back there if that's what you mean-

"Kiba," She cut him off before he could finish. "I know you didn't. But I want to, trust me."

He rested his forehead on hers before looking at her body, and then back to her intense green eyes. "Are you sure…"

She answered his question with a kiss. He closed his eyes, feeling her warm breath on his lips and caressing her cheek with one of his hands. For the first time ever, Kiba was nervous. He had done this a thousand times, but for some reason this time it was different. Was it because it was with someone he genuinely cared about? Since when did he ever feel nervous, about anything?

He gripped her night dress gently before carefully pulling it over her head and exposing every inch of her soft, placid skin. He took his time to look at her, taking in every view and every moment. She was beautiful, almost even to perfect. "You're beautiful, I hope you know that." He said as he ran his hand down her smooth, visible arm. Everything about her was so flawless that he had to bite down on his lower lip to make sure it was all real. Sakura felt exposed and could feel her own heart pounding away at her chest, but knew there was no going back on this now.

The room was a little too silent as she continued to sit on his bed as his eyes took in every inch of her. His head was clouded with so many visions of her that he couldn't hold back any longer. He leaned in to plant a soft kiss on her neck, his hand slithering behind her arms and to her lower back. She gasped at his touch and wrapped his arms around his tanned and bare shoulders. She pulled him on top of her and felt him slide into her with the change of position, his body set between her bare legs. She flinched at the entrance; memories of Sasuke came charging into her mind and started banging at the inside of her skull. She closed her eyes to try and flush them out, but Kiba saw the look of discomfort upon her face.

"Are you Ok?" he asked with concern, brushing stands of pink hair off her face and his voice softening. "I didn't mean to hurt you, we can stop-

"No," she said as she pulled him closer, her mouth curving with his. It didn't hurt, but the thought of sleeping with someone again did. She didn't want to be used for this, and she knew Kiba wouldn't, but the thought was still there and it wasn't going away.

And then almost as if he could read her mind, he pulled away and caressed her cheek with his thumb. "Just remember, I'm not Sasuke. I'm not going to hurt you, Sakura."

She nodded, and for a split second she swore she could feel Kiba's heart pounding harder than hers. It made her feel a little more comfortable knowing that Kiba was just as nervous as she was.

He kissed her again, and then set a trail of kisses past her jaw, then her collarbone, and on her breasts. She arched her chest at the contact, starting to feel even more comfortable and relaxed. Kiba took this as an opportunity to continue, also relaxing, and pushing slowly inside her even more.

Kiba gasped as he pushed further more inside her, his hand rested upon the hip with the graze from earlier. He brushed his thumb over the top of it lightly as he pushed in again, slowly, moaning softly as her hips rocked with his.

Sakura gasped again, this time at his depth, and his mouth immediately came to her ear as he eased. "Are you Ok?" he panted as he continued to slowly move in and out.

"Keep going," she panted back, running her nails down his back. Goosebumps surfaced his skin as she traced the muscle outlines in his shoulders and back with her fingers, continuing to rock her hips in the rhythm of his. "Sa…Sakura…" he said as his pace slowly and gradually increased. He let his hands come up to cup her breasts and her chest raised, her mind now fully focussed on the brunette on top of her. The thought of Sasuke was long gone and she admitted to herself that it felt weird having someone who was there to please her and not only himself.

Her breathing increased. It was obvious Kiba knew exactly what he was doing, and it was clear why all the girls loved him. "Kiba," she whispered between heavy breaths. One of her hands came up to run through his messy brown hair.

"Finish together," he said as he used the hand on her hip to steady himself. More soft moans escaped his mouth as he clenched his eyes shut and kissed and sucked onto her exposed neck. "Sakura…babe... Oh god, Look at me…" he said to her. She lifted her head up from his shoulder and the one look from each other's eyes was enough to put both of them over the edge. They finished together, Kiba's body collapsing from exhaustion on top of hers. She buried her face into the curve of his damp neck, realising she was breathless. Kiba rolled off of her and immediately pulled her into his chest and ran his hands through her soft, pink hair. He planted a compassionate kiss upon her forehead as she wrapped an arm across his toned stomach. "That was so worth the wait." He panted, continuing to hold her close.

She held on to his body tight, dreading and waiting for the moment where he would get up and leave, making up an excuse so he didn't have to stick around. Instead, something completely different happened. This wasn't Sasuke after all.

Kiba rolled onto his side and wrapped his arm around Sakura's still naked waist, pulling her close. He kissed her one last time, pulling her body even closer and inhaling a nervous breath. Sakura, nor Kiba, were really prepared for what he was about to say.

"I love you, Sakura."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah. I really suck at writing those scenes, I don't enjoy it, but the story was leading to it so it had to happen. I hope it wasn't too horrible haha. Next chapter up soon, Sorry if there is a wait as I'm currently doing my HSC, but expect drama!<strong>

**R&R! **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Ah, sorry about the wait… I've been so busy, and also experienced a break up. So I haven't really been 100%. And this chapter might be a disappointment, if it is I apologise. Please also note that the next chapter will be the last. **

**Anyway, I hope you like it. Oh, and I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

><p>Sakura had to blink her eyes a few times to make sure she wasn't dreaming, or at least to make sure what she had just herd was real. Did Kiba just… Say that he loved her?<p>

Whilst her wide emerald eyes stared back at his dark brown ones, he waited anxiously for her reply. Did he say it too soon? Would she say it back? What happens if she doesn't feel the same way? His heart started to thud against his chest for a second time. Time felt like it had almost slowed to a stop as he continued to wait for what felt like an eternity.

"I... I love you too,"

As he watched a tiny smile crawl upon her lips, Kiba couldn't help but feel like he was on top of the world. He pulled her into a kiss and then broke away, laughing with sheer happiness.

"Why are you laughing?" Sakura giggled as she watched Kiba run his hands through his hair. His smile was beaming and the room now had a different atmosphere; a more comfortable one.

"Because I'm happy," he answered simply. "I have you; I have all the right in the world to be acting like this."

He pulled her on top of him as she laughed, pushing on his chest in a playful attempt to escape. He held on to her tight, nibbling on her collarbone as he sat up to squeeze her gently. "Kiba!" She laughed, remembering that they were both still completely naked. He pulled away to give her a playful smirk. "That will be enough of that," he said, as if rolling around and wrestling was all Sakura's intention. "We need to get ready for school."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you started this by pulling me on top of you?" she replied with a wink.

"Please, I know you want me again, but this is going to have to wait princess."

Sakura laughed. "In time, I hope you'll end up loving me as much as you love yourself."

"If you're lucky," Kiba replied with a wink. He pulled her in for one last kiss before getting ready for school.

They both felt like the day ahead, was defiantly going to be a good one.

* * *

><p>"…and then there was that other chick who was there, you know, the same one I was with at Sasuke's?"<p>

Kankurou continued to talk to Kiba as they slowly continued to their next class. "Well she saw me with Tamara, so she comes up to me and goes completely nuts… Like a full explosion of jealousy. Totally ruined my night. I could have got it in with that blonde if it wasn't for her!"

Kiba made an attempt to look interested, but lately he didn't seem to like talking about parties or girls. He was usually off thinking about better things, like Sakura for example. He was only halfway through his day at school and already couldn't wait until he was able to go home and see her.

"Seriously man, I was totally looking forward to sleeping with this girl. Girls are the worst!"

Kiba kicked a scrunched up bit of paper that had been left in the corridor by a student. He scratched the back of his head, clearly not interested in the conversation. "Yeah dude, doesn't sound too good."

"Speaking of girls…" Kankurou said, folding his arms. He looked over to the Inuzuka and raised an eyebrow. "How's Sakura coming along eh? How's the _plan_ going?"

Kiba smiled at the mention of Sakura's name. But the words that followed her name made Kiba's gut turn and his chest feel heavy. The 'plan', the whole competition he had going with Kankurou about sleeping with Sakura… Kiba had forgotten all about it. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the voice of an all too familiar friend.

"Plan?"

The two brunettes stopped and spun around to see Sasuke standing behind them. He closed his locker and turned his head towards Kiba and Kankurou, smirking and raising an eyebrow. "What is this plan you speak of?"

Kankurou stared blankly at Kiba for a while, confused as to whether he was allowed to mention this to Sasuke or not. After a moment silence Kankurou went to speak, only to be cut off immediately by Kiba, who seemed to be staring daggers at the raven haired teen before him.

"Nothing."

"Aw, come on now Inuzuka," Sasuke took a few steps toward the two. "Why don't you want to tell me? I am one of your best friends after all."

"There is no plan, Kankurou was just being an idiot."

Sasuke folded his arms and laughed to himself. "You guys seriously think I'm that stupid? I know what's going on Kiba. It's just funny to watch you try and hide it from me."

"I'm not hiding anything Uchiha. Now don't you have some girl to be tuning? I'm going to class." Kiba clenched his jaw and turned around, nodding for Kankurou to follow. He couldn't even look at Sasuke anymore; what had gone from a little competition caused by jealousy, had now raged into a hatred caused by love. It made him sick to even be near the Uchiha now.

"Just remember Inuzuka," Sasuke said as he watched Kiba's walk slow to a stop. "When you're fucking her, don't forget I fucked the hell out of her first. Only thing that girl was ever good for."

"You shut your fucking mouth!" Kiba turned and grabbed the collar of Sasuke's black shirt, violently shoving him up against the locker. The loud crash echoed through the empty hallway.

"What's going to happen when she finds out you were only trying to get in her pants? It sure would be a shame if someone was to tell her…"

"Shut the fuck up Uchiha," Kiba yelled as he pushed him against the locker another time, causing it to dint. The grip he had on Sasuke's shirt tightened and his face was burning with rage. Although Kiba was a little bit taller than Sasuke, Kiba knew he couldn't get too carried away. Sasuke had had his fair share of fights in the past and wasn't really one to mess with.

"Aww would you look at this," Sasuke grabbed Kiba's shirt in an effort to subtly push him away. "Inuzuka's getting all over protective because he's in love. Never thought I'd see the day,"

Another crash echoed through the corridor. Kankurou placed a hand on Kiba's shoulder as he tried to ease the situation between his two best friends. "Whoa man, calm down..."

"Yeah Inuzuka, listen to Kankurou. Don't get too carried away now. Unless of course, the idea of me being Sakura's first angers you?" He moved his head closer towards Kiba and smirked, looking directly into his eyes. "Don't think about her too much. I can assure you, she wasn't thinking of you when I was fucking the life out of her."

The last comment was enough to send Kiba over the edge. He was so consumed by rage right now that he couldn't control himself any longer. Clenching his fist as hard as he could, he raised it and struck a solid hit to Sasuke's face, sending his head flying back into the locker. He released his shirt and watched as Sasuke fell to the ground clenching his nose.

Everything was moving in slow motion now. There was too much hatred for him to start walking away, so without thinking about any consequences Kiba started to lay more violent punches into Sasuke's head and body. "You scarred her! She doesn't deserve to be treated like that!" he yelled between brutal blows.

"I wonder if you can make her scream like I can!" Sasuke yelled back, as if his only intention was to further anger Kiba_. Keep going,_ he thought as Kiba continued to hit him. _You're only working to my advantage._

Teachers in nearby classrooms heard the crashing and banging against the lockers and came out immediately, pulling Kiba off of Sasuke with all their might. "Kiba Inuzuka, calm down!" Kakashi yelled. Iruka, who was teaching one of the middle school classes at the end of the hall, was called to assist Kakashi. Kiba's rage was out of control and too much for one man to handle. Once he was pulled off, Kakashi escorted Kiba to the principal's office while Iruka attended to Sasuke's vicious nose bleed, left wondering what the hell would have caused such a brutal argument.

* * *

><p>Lunchtime finally came. Rumours about the fight had spread throughout the school like wildfire, but no one knew who it was. No one except Kankurou, who was the only one besides the teachers to witness it. He was nowhere to be seen though, most probably because he was also being questioned by Tsunade with Kiba.<br>Sakura sat at her regular lunch table situated in the middle of the lunch area, next to Ino and Hinata. They had a view of every student in the school, and with that view came access to all the noise and rumours the kids were spreading. Sakura admitted she was a little nervous, because she couldn't see Kiba, Kankurou or Sasuke anywhere. But then she remembered that the three would usually leave school at lunchtime to wag or smoke, which was a pretty regular thing for them, so she wasn't all that worried.

"Eh, I don't know why everyone is making such a big deal about it. I heard it was just two of the middle school kids, and no one really cares about them anyway." Ino said as she put away her pocket mirror. "Fights are so overrated. It was probably over a pen or something."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at her best friends comments. Secretly agreeing with Ino Sakura smiled and exhaled. There was nothing to worry about, because after all, today was meant to be a good day. Everything was going right.

After hearing the bell sound for their next class Sakura and her two best friends got to gather their school bags and started to head towards the gym. Glancing back quickly she allowed her eyes to scan around the outside of the school, looking for Kiba and the others to enter sneakily through the front gates like they usually did. Her stomach turned when there was no sign of either of the boys. _Maybe something's come up, stop stressing about it…_ she thought to herself as she turned and continued her way towards the gym.

To get to the gym where gym class was usually held, students had to walk through one of the main buildings situated at the back of the school. This building was where all the important rooms and offices were; the principal's office, the school councillor and nurse's office, and a series of classrooms could all be found there also. It was a building where most of the older students had their classes so a few lockers were also located along the sides of the wide corridor. Sakura liked this building. It was a rare occasion to ever find middle schoolers there, so she enjoyed the subtle quietness it had about it.

As she continued to make her way to the gym, Sakura realised that her gym shirt wasn't in her bag. "Shit, I must have left it in my locker…" She mumbled, thinking of how bad it would have smelt seeing as she didn't wash it.

"Want me to wait up?" Ino called from the end of the corridor.

"Nah you go on ahead, I'll meet you in the gym." Sakura turned and headed back to her locker, her mind still churning at the possible image of her gym shirt. As she reached her locker and rummaged through her stuff, she heard the sounds of footsteps coming down the hallway. She raised an eyebrow in confusion as her mind pondered on who it could be; class had resumed a fair while ago now and it wasn't common for students to be still walking around.

"Sakura…"

Her heart stopped at the sound of his voice. _Oh no._

"S-Sasuke?" Sakura managed to stutter, her heart starting to pound harder now. "What are you doing, what happened to your face?"

Her eyes scanned the bruising around his eyes and the dry blood which was half smeared under his nose. One eye looked a little swollen and his bottom lip managed to be severely cut up as well. A million thoughts started to run through her head, but a certain one seemed to stick. "Those bruises… it was you, wasn't it? You were in that fight…"

"Oh, these?" Sasuke said as he moved a little closer. "No, I wasn't in that fight Sakura. Apparently it was some of the younger kids, these bruises I got from something else."

She looked at him with confusion. "What did you get them from then? Sasuke, I think you need to see someone, they look pretty bad-

"I didn't want to tell you, but it looks like I have no choice." Sasuke sighed and rested one arm upon the locker, leaning in towards Sakura. His face was close and she could feel herself burning up, all too familiar feelings rushing back to her. He looked her directly in the eyes as if his intention was to make her forget everything about Kiba, and even though he knew he was about to lie straight through his teeth, there was no way he was going to let the two be together. "I went around to your dads yesterday. I figured I needed to talk to you about something, something that's been playing on my mind for some while now. But when I got there your dad said he hadn't seen you in weeks, and that he didn't want to see you for that matter either. Hearing him say those words… it angered me Sakura, it hurt."

He caressed her cheek with his thumb, moving his head closer. Sakura shifted her glance towards the floor in an attempt to convince herself that what was happening wasn't real. The boy she had been in love with for so long finally wanted her back. All of a sudden her head started to feel heavy, and drowsiness started to take over her body. _This can't be happening, this can't be happening…_

"I told him that he wasn't allowed to speak about you like that. And before I knew it, I found myself defending you so harshly that your dad lost control. The next thing I knew, he had me by the shirt and was beating the shit out of me. All because I tried to convince him that you are actually an amazing person… and I don't know why I didn't see it before…"

Was it true? Sakura couldn't help but wonder why Sasuke would do something so out of the ordinary. And as unrealistic as it seemed, she still believed every bit of it.  
>His breath was hot on her ear now. A raw shiver ran down her spine and spread across her whole body as her mind screamed at her from inside her head. <em>Don't fall for it Sakura, you have Kiba now! Think of Kiba, think of Kiba!<em>

"Sasuke…" Sakura whispered as she tried her hardest to hold back tears.

"No Sakura, please listen. I want you back; I was an idiot letting you go before. It's taken me a while to realise you're everything I want. No other girl matched you, Sakura." He leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on her tear stained cheeks. "Take me back, Sakura"

She looked down to see that his hand was now settled upon her hip, as most of his body was leaning on her now. She was gently trapped against the locker, firm enough for her to know he didn't want to let her go, but loose enough to leave if she really wanted too. And the most confusing part of it was, she didn't know if she wanted to leave or not.

"Why now, why all of a sudden… you've changed?" She sobbed quietly into his ear. Her chest was aching and her head was so heavy with confusion that she let it fall exhaustedly into the curve of his neck and shoulder. She hated herself for this. She loved Kiba; why was she letting herself fall for the one person who broke her?

"That doesn't matter, all that matters now is you saying you'll take me back. You and I both know that this is what you want. Kiba, he doesn't love you Sakura. He just wants to get into your pants."

"That's not true…"

"Sakura, I'm his best friend. I know these things… and as much as it hurts to hear them, you now I'm right."

Sakura was so focussed on her thumping chest and dizzy head that she failed to notice the door to the principal's office swing open.

"What the hell?"

Kiba stood across the hall, staring at his ex-best friend with furrowed brows. Sakura's head flew up, her misty green eyes now staring franticly at Kiba. She tried to push Sasuke's body away, but the Uchiha only used Kiba's abrupt entrance to his advantage. He stood next to her and gripped her hand so tight that she couldn't release his grip. Tears started to pour from her eyes as she watched the colour drain from Kiba's face, and his fists cling tightly to the inside of his hands.

"Oh Inuzuka, how nice of you to join us. I was just telling Sakura here about how we were getting back together. Now she knows you only wanted one thing off her, I think you best be off."

"You're getting back with him?" Kiba asked as even he struggled to hold back tears. Sakura noticed that tears weren't the only thing he was holding back; his voice was almost shaking with anger.

She went to speak, but nothing came out. She knew exactly what Sasuke was like… But yet she couldn't find herself saying no. She sure as hell didn't miss the way he used her, the way he treated her as someone so below him, or the way he treated her in general, but as usual the memories that used to be good were the things keeping her from tugging her hand away. His touch and his mysterious attitude, the way he just made her want to know every detail about him had her still emotionally attached to the handsome Uchiha_. Why! Why can't I let go! I don't want this, I want Kiba! But…. But… what if Sasuke has actually changed, and he's completely different now? But then there's Kiba… I don't know what to do!… _

The only thing she could do was look back and forth between Kiba and Sasuke, her chest heaving with emotional exhaustion. Tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she felt herself start to go weak in the knees, and the heart.

"After everything I've fucking done for you," Kiba said as he shook his head. "You go and do this. Maybe your dad hit you one to many times in that pretty little face of yours Sakura, to know that you chose the one person who fucked you over so bad, over the one who tried to give you everything. Your father was right. You deserve nothing."

"Isn't that a lovely way to speak to your girlfriend… or should I say_, ex_-girlfriend." Sasuke shot Kiba a malevolent grin as he watched the enraged Inuzuka slam shut the principals door and walk away, realising he had won.

Sakura was speechless. Her heart had felt like it had been ripped into two, and the ache was un bearable. Although tears were pouring down the side of her face she couldn't make any sound. She was broken. Ripping her hands out of Sasuke's, she struggled to find her legs and ran as fast as she could out of the building, leaving behind every little bit of happiness and dignity she once had.


	14. Chapter 14

**Holeyyyyy Moleyyyy. Well, haven't I been in a bit of a pickle haha. I wrote this chapter, about a thousand times actually, trying to make it good. Failed each time. Finally got the end result and was sorta happy with it, went to upload it, and for some weird reason Fanfiction wasn't letting me log in? Did anyone else have that problem? Legit didn't let me on for about 2 weeks! So I got all upset, all bummed out because I didn't get to upload the last chapter to my story, and gave up trying for about a month. Then one day I was cruising the internet and decided I'll try one last time, then BAM! Logged in straight away! So here is the Final chapter, FINALLY. I hope it doesn't disappoint! **

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the story.**

* * *

><p>Her legs didn't take her far.<p>

Her head was spinning as she tried to think of a place to go; a place to run to for any kind of help, but nothing came to mind. Home wasn't an option and neither was Kiba's. Ino's and Hinata's house were on the other side of town, and Sakura didn't really have the mental and physical strength to carry herself that far at the time. She figured her last option was Shikamaru, so between the weakness she was feeling in her legs, her tear blurred vision and aching heart she started the walk towards her best friend's house, knowing that what she had just done was one of the worst decisions of her life.

When she reached Shikamaru's house, she wanted to rip her hair out. Amongst the midst of frustration, sadness and confusion, Sakura had failed to realise that Shikamaru was still at school and had waked all this way for no reason. His bus didn't get in till late, and she needed someone to talk to _now_. She reached for her phone which was usually in the front pocket of her pants so she could call him, but to add to her already horrible day, her phone was gone_. It must have fallen out somewhere between the school and Shikamaru's, why can't one thing, just one thing go right for me today? _The sudden urge to just give up and break down started to overtake her exhausted body, but she knew that wasn't going to help her in any way. Breaking down, crying, giving up; none of that was going to fix a single thing. None of it would have made everything better again. None of it would have made her feel happier or relaxed; it would just prove that she was a quitter, a coward defeatist who let yet another thing get the better of her. So with a deep breath she pushed away her tears and started walking again. It was only slowly, but to prove something didn't mean she had to rush.

* * *

><p>She walked past streets and streets of houses. She just wanted to think for a bit, clear her head a little so she could focus on finding her phone and then hope that everything else would work itself out. But those houses? They weren't really helping. They were all large ones that had lovely gardens, children's toys out the front, the occasional bike lying across the footpath, and the typical average every day family could be seen through the window, the parents cuddling and obsessing over their 4 year old kid. It made her sick. Nothing is ever perfect, not for her anyway.<p>

For a moment it was like she was no longer in control of her feet. Her chest grew heavy as she realised she had unintentionally taken the long route, the one that took her straight past Kiba's house. Sakura stood frozen a few metres before his driveway. There at the front door was all of Sakura's stuff. Her clothes, her possessions, her soccer gear, even the jumper he had given her one night when she had fallen asleep with it on. She could remember that night so clearly; they were meant to go out for dinner, but she wasn't feeling well so they stayed at home and watched really bad night television on the old peoples' channel. There they sat, both dressed in their best and fanciest clothes, eating toast. She had a high temperature and was shaking so Kiba placed his favourite jacket on her to keep her warm, before taking her up to bed and letting her sleep.

The urgent want to have all that back made Sakura's eyes start to spill again. Why did she go and stuff this up so badly? She did love Kiba. She did appreciate every single thing he ever did for her. But Sasuke, Sasuke had this stupid hold on her that never really vanished. Even if she thought she had forgotten about him, he had never really left the back of her mind. He was like this spark she could never ever put out no matter how hard she tried. But how? Why? He didn't treat her anywhere near as well as Kiba did and probably never will.

"Kiba, if you're in there please open up,'' she said jaggedly through chesty sobs. There was no answer. Getting angry and frustrated, she banged on the door again but with more force. "Kiba! All I want is for you to hear me out, like all those times I heard you out!" tears fell from her eyes and onto the door mat beneath her. "I'm sorry, why don't you realise that!"

The door swung open to reveal cold, solemn Kiba. His eyes were slightly bloodshot but Sakura didn't know if it was because of crying or the amount of alcohol he had consumed. Although he didn't look drunk, she could smell it.

He just stood there, staring down at her, and all the words that filled Sakura's mouth before had suddenly disappeared. "What." He said so gravely that the word itself seemed colder than the late afternoon air.

"I, I…" Sakura couldn't say a single word but take a step towards him, hoping that they he would return her hug and everything would be okay. She embraced him tightly, pathetically, and buried her face into chest, waiting for him to return the hug.

But he didn't. There was nothing. Instead he slowly pulled her off of him and turned to grab something. Continuing to stare down at her, Kiba handed Sakura her soccer ball and gripped the insides of his own palms. "You've got your stuff, you can leave now." he turned slowly and shut the door, not another word being spoken.

She stood there for a while doing nothing. She didn't cry. She didn't yell. Instead she collected up all of her stuff and put it into the bag which was also lying at her feet and stood looking at Kiba's house. She smiled and laughed stupidly, almost as if she was just released from some mental asylum or something. As she wiped away a stray tear she took a deep breath, and it finally clicked; it was over. There was nothing she could do. She had finally accepted the fact that she had screwed up, and there was no point in holding onto something he no longer wanted. Maybe it wasn't meant to be? And when she really thought about it, although she was torn between someone she once loved and someone she currently loved, maybe she was meant to be with Sasuke after all. "Goodbye, Kiba. Thank you."

* * *

><p>"It's about time you woke up to yourself Pink."<p>

Sakura sank into the lounge at the house of the Uchiha's, watching him poor her drink. "And you drink now? I can't even remember the last time I witnessed you consume alcohol. I mean, I thought you were all turned off it because of your loser dad."

Sakura grabbed the glass of vodka and redbull from his hands. "yeah, well things have changed now."

Sasuke watched as she skulled the whole glass in a matter of seconds. He had never even seen Sakura drink before, and now that she did, thoughts of what the rest of the night would be like came rushing to his head. _If she keeps this up, I could get her really wasted. Then I won't have to go to the effort of sweet talking her into bed_.

"I want another one," she said as she handed him back the glass. Sasuke took a step forward and got real close to her. She looked him in those dark, mysterious eyes which she always used to obsess about when they were together, but didn't have that same feeling that she used to get. Sure, they were still amazing eyes, but they weren't brown. Not like Kiba's.

"How about a please?" he wiped a bit of stray hair away from her pale face. Familiar Goosebumps ran down the spine of her back as she felt his breath on her skin. "Please."

Sasuke took the glass from her hand and smirked, heading back over to the kitchen. Sasuke's house was just as big as Kiba's, but it didn't feel as warm. Sasuke's house was the equivalent to a bachelor pad; fancy furniture, cool and vibrant walls, huge flat screen TV's and sound systems set all up around the living room, and a kitchen full of the finest liquor any teen could ever dream of. As he continued to poor her glass, he made sure to put more vodka in this time. The stronger the drink, the quicker she would get drunk.

'So, Sakura," he started, glancing up at her from beneath his dark raven coloured hair. "What was it that you saw in Inuzuka anyway?"

Her stomach dropped at the mention of his name. What did she see in him? Everything. Great looks, caring personality, protective, gentle, fun, outgoing… but she wasn't going to say that. No way was she going to remind herself that he was so close to perfect. "I'm not sure."

"Poor, poor Sakura. If only you realised he was just trying to get in your pants from the start. I can assure you, he was only going to break your heart once he had it in with you. I heard him and Kankurou talking, it was all some big prank just to make me jealous."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Did it?"

"Did it what?"

"Did it make you jealous?"

Sasuke handed Sakura her drink than folded his arms. "Pfft. It takes more than sleeping with an ex-girlfriend to make me jealous. He's always envied the fact I'm better than him at everything. And now that he's seen you still manage to choose me over him, that would have killed him even more."

Sakura swallowed a mouthful of her drink. The vodka made her throat burn, but she enjoyed it. "Ex-girlfriend? Sasuke, what exactly are we?"

Becoming irritated at all the questions, Sasuke continued to top up her drink. "What does it matter? You're here now, and you're with me. You should be happy. Now drink up."

* * *

><p>Another drink.<p>

Then another.

And another.

And another.

Sakura's head was spinning. Her vision was unfocussed and she was finding it hard to concentrate on even the littlest things; like walking in a straight line for example. Sasuke had music blaring now; the thumping of the bass could be felt against her chest. She swayed to the beats, to the rhythm of the music, and even though this wasn't the kind of stuff she really listened to she managed to be enjoying herself. She felt… bubbly. She was laughing at things she wouldn't normally laugh at and the world felt like it was spinning beneath her. So this is what being drunk felt like? This is what her dad had been feeling for the past seventeen years of her life? She didn't blame him, it felt amazing. No wonder he used to drink; It's taken her mind off everything. Her aching heart, her break up, her confusion. Everything was just spinning now, like an ecstasy.

Sasuke handed her yet another drink and rested his hands upon her waist. She was still in her school uniform but the music had caused her to tie up her top so she was able to move more freely. Sasuke stared at her bare and thin stomach. He hadn't missed it all that much, there were girls that easily or if not bettered Sakura. But she was a great lay, he'd give her that much.

"What do you say if we go somewhere a little more… exciting," he said as he pulled her closer, looking down into her foggy green eyes.

"I know just the place," she slurred, smiling and cheekily pulling away. She stumbled over to the lounge where she had placed her bags, and on top of those bags was her soccer ball. "Follow me!" she yelled happily, running and stumbling out of the Uchiha's house knocking down ornaments and furniture along the way. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Wherever she was going wasn't what he had in mind at all. He wanted to venture towards his bedroom, fuck her then get rid of her so he could have his house to himself again. He didn't want to keep her, look after her, or be with her like he had promised. He loved being single; freedom and getting girls was Sasuke's scene, not being tied down and attached. All he wanted to do was prove to Kiba yet again that he was better than him. And to do that, he had to win back Sakura, but only for the night. After that he wouldn't care what the girl would do with herself. All he knew was that there was no way Kiba would be taking her back.

Reluctantly, Sasuke followed her out of the door. "Where the fuck are we going? Leaving the house wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

"You'll seeee!" she called out from in front of him.

It wasn't long before the two teens reached the soccer field. Sakura stood panting at the top of the oval, overlooking the green, familiar field she liked to call her second home. She didn't quite know where her first home was, but that didn't matter now; she was here. The goal posts seemed to shine in the moonlight, almost giving them a glow in the dark kind of vibe. She laughed and ran down onto the field, dropping her ball and kicking it as far as she could. She watched it saw through the air, before dropping to the ground and gazing up at the stars. It wasn't long before Sasuke was at her side.

"Have you ever just looked at stars, and thought about stuff? Like, where they come from or how they got there?" Sakura picked at the grass beneath her.

"Umm, yeah..." replied Sasuke, taking very little interest in what she was saying.

"Kiba used to like stars. He told me they're the least loneliest things in the world, because there's so many of them. He said that those who die lonely never end up lonely in the end, because they become stars."

"Enough about stars," Sasuke said as he pulled himself up onto his side. He ran his hands across her abdomen, making her skin shiver. "What do you say we have a little fun?"

It wasn't a good shiver though, Sakura didn't want to do anything at that moment. She was having enough fun looking at the stars. "Sasuke, not now,"

"C'mon pink," he said as he subtly moved on top of her. "You use to love this before."

"I don't want to yet," her head was still spinning as she slurred her words. "Why are you calling me pink, you never used to call me that-"

"Shut up, just for two seconds. Fuck." He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss, their lips slamming uncomfortably against each other. She pulled away, looking at him with furrowed brows.

"Sasuke, what the hell? Stop being so aggressive."

He reached for her skirt and kissed her again. His free hand wandered up to her breast as she shifted uncomfortably beneath him. She pulled his hand away from her skirt as he sucked softly on her neck and collarbone. She didn't want this. He was being too forceful, trying to do everything at once was making her feel uncomfortable.

"Sasuke stop, I'm being serious…"

He kept going, nipping at her collar bone and lifting her skirt.

"Sasuke seriously, I don't want to do this... Sasuke, STOP."

"Shut the fuck up Sakura, if you can bludge free drinks off me for the whole fucking night, you can put out for me this one time. Now shut the fuck up!"

Her eyes widened with shock as she tried to push him off of her. His grip was too strong and his body was too heavy for her to be able to escape easily. Tears started to fill her eyes and her body stiffened with fright, surely Sasuke wasn't going to… rape her?

"Sasuke, stop! You're hurting me! Sasuke!"

"What the fuck is going on!"

Sakura's heart stopped at the sound of a voice_. His voice_. As Sasuke's head shot up, Kiba ran over and grabbed him by the shirt, tearing Sasuke off of her with one pull. When he was off, Kiba laid several punches into his stomach until Sasuke was able to fight no more. The Uchiha rolled along the ground moaning in pain, completely disordered as to what happened.

"Kiba!" Sakura said with relief as he bent down to cuddle her. The hug was so tight that for a moment she was caught for breath, but she didn't know if it was because of the hold, or because she was just so happy to see him.

"Gee kid, you've been drinking..." he said as the strong scent of vodka escaped her clothes and lips. "Shh, its okay, everything is going to be alright. Let's get out of here." He helped her up and gripped her hand like he was never going to let go.

They walked slowly down a quiet street. Night crickets could be heard from people's back yards but the night was still, nothing moved but the two emotionally drained teens that walked softly with each other down the path. They were both too tired to speak. Although it was silent it wasn't uncomfortable or awkward; that was a gift the two had. They could spend minutes, or even hours in silence and still be happy just to be in each other's presence.

"Kiba?" Sakura said as she looked at the stars.

"Yeah kid?"

"What made you go to the soccer field? I mean, it's 10:30 at night, and you never go there…"

Kiba scratched the back of his head. "It's obvious, isn't it? I wanted to see you. The house was so fucking empty, so quiet. I felt like a fucking idiot for shutting you out like I did, and I just needed to see you… and the only place I could think of at the time was the soccer field. You're always there."

"Listen Kiba," Sakura started as she wiped the tears from her face and took in a deep breath. "I was wrong, I was so, so, so so so wrong. I know you don't want to forgive me and probably never will, but it's not Sasuke that I want to be with-"

"Sakura, shh. Please don't get worked up." He replied, cutting off her sentence. "I know you're sorry, and I am too. We're teenagers; we do stupid things, and make stupid mistakes. Look at all the stuff I've done to you... heck, I've even sunk so low as in to hit you. And for you to still want to be with me seriously makes my head spin. You're the perfect girl, craving to be with a fuck up like me, I don't get it. I really don't."

"You're not a fuck up! Don't you dare say that!" Sakura was yet again crying helplessly; the last day and night had been too much for her to handle. Kiba being emotionally drained as well couldn't do anything but hold her, cuddle her and let her know that everything was going to be alright. "I'm the one with the fuck up parents, the one who doesn't earn enough to support herself and thinks she's going to get somewhere kicking around a damn soccer ball. If anyone's a fuck up it's me, don't you dare tell me I'm too good for you."

Kiba all of a sudden got too tired to walk, and sat himself down on the street curb underneath a tall lonely street light. "Being a fuck up is a negative, right?"

Sakura sat herself beside him and let her head fall onto his shoulder. "Well in my case it is, yeah."

"Well two negatives make a positive, right?"

Sakura raised her eyebrow and looked at the handsome boy beside her; a little smirk crept across her face. "Looks like someone has been listening in science and maths for once?"

Kiba smiled and gently nudged her in the shoulder as his face went slightly red from embarrassment. It wasn't like him to focus in school but this time he had been caught out. "Never mind about that," he laughed, placing his arm around her. "Well if we're two negatives, being together will only make us a positive."

Sakura looked into his eyes, and smiled honestly for the first time that day.

"And I'll let you know now that it won't be easy. We'll have fights, stupid fights over stupid things. We'll most likely disagree on everything, break up and get back together numerous times. But what counts is that we still want to be together, and push past all this stupid shit that life wants to throw at us. It's gonna take a lot more than a fuckwit Uchiha and alcoholic father to tear us down."

She smiled even more as tears rolled down her face, but this time, they were happy tears. "So does this mean you'll take me back?"

"That's exactly what it means, kid."

_The end._

* * *

><p><strong>Aww, it's finally come to an end Thank you to everyone who stuck by me with this story, that gave me the confidence to keep going, and reviewed almost every chapter. NejiSakuKiba, xxGrayxx, and everyone else!<strong>

**Filipinochick, I love your long reviews! Haha, even though sometimes you happened to guess what's about to happen before I even posted haha ;)**

**arabmorgan, Your reviews are lovely. Thank you so much for them, they kept me writing!**

**heartsXkisses, Can always tell you've reviewed when I read "Have a great day!" at the end ;) I sincerely hope that you're the one having a great day!**

**Sorry if the last chapter wasn't all you thought it would be, but there's always a lot of pressure during the last chapter. I'm hoping to get another story going up as soon as possible, and yes, it will be another Kiba one ;) But I need to know who I'll pair him with? Hit me up with your favourite female Naruto characters ladies and gentlemen! Because after all, the story's for you guys **

**thanks again so much for the reviews!**


End file.
